BY DR. OSCAR KATZ. 581 



APPENDIX I. 



Note on the Transition of Pathogenic Bacteria from the 



MOTHER TO THE FCETUS. 



Several pathogenic micro-organisms, especially those which cause 

 lesions of the vascular system (haemorrhages, thromboses) in the 

 different organs [e.g. Bacillus anthracis ; Streptococcus septicus 

 (Flugge)], are known to be able to pass from the mother to the 

 foetus. Fraenkel's pneumococcus is also capable of so doing ; in 

 tuberculosis a passage of the bacillus through the placenta appears 

 to exist, but rarely occurs, it is said. In typhoid fever the possi- 

 bility of a transmission of the bacillus of this disease from the 

 mother to the child has lately been established (J. C. Eberth)."^ 



With regard to chicken-cholera, Marchiafava and Celli found 

 the bacteria of this disease in the foetus of a guinea-pig which had 

 been successfully infected with those microbes. 



On pp. 569, 570, I have given notice of an experiment on 

 guinea-pigs, which were fed on cabbage-leaves sprinkled with 

 virulent chicken-cholera microbes. One of two guinea-pigs which 

 subsequently died from " chicken-cholera," namely a full-grown 

 doe, had in the right uterus a foetus measuring 53 mm. in a 

 straight line from the vertex of the head to the root of the tail. 

 I will repeat here that the haemorrhage in the small intestine of 

 the mother animal was less considerable and less marked than 

 in the case of the other younger doe which also died. 



Samples of heart-blood and of liver-substance were carefully 

 derived from the above foetus, and cover-glass preparations made. 

 These were fixed, stained, and examined with homogeneous ira- 



* Centralhlatt fur Bakteriologie und Parasitenkunde. Rand V., No. 19, 

 1889, pp. 643, 644. See also E. Malvoz, Le passage des micro-organisms 

 au foetus. Revue critique. Annates de I'Institut Pasteur. Tome III., No. 4, 

 1889, pp. 188-193. 



