108 J. .4. Gilrulk: 



throughout its whole course showed numerous circaUar, flat- 

 tened, 2:re)'ish nodules, each about the size of a small pea, there 

 being about 2 to 4 present to the square inch. These nodules 

 ■were distinctly observable without incising the bowel, and caused 

 some projection of the serous covering. On examination of the 

 mucous surface slight circular elevations were observed corres- 

 ponding to these nodules, the majority showing a minute central 

 depression, through which the contents could l^e readily 

 squeezed. These nodules were apparently cystic in nature ; in 

 some instances the contents appeared translucent, jelly-like and 

 not readily broken down, with a small greyish caseous centre, 

 in others the contents were completely caseous. 



On microscopical examination the material was seen to con- 

 sist chiefly of fibrinous debris with pus cells and some columnar 

 epithelia. A peculiar feature of the less degenerated contents 

 was the presence in smears of a finely laminated membranous 

 structure as if part of a parasitic cyst wall. Stained by Giemsa's 

 method myriads of beaded bacteria of varying length, cocci 

 and bacilli could be detected, but, in addition, especially in 

 the " laminated " membrane, could be seen many delicate spiral 

 organisms with all the characters of spirochaetae. These were 

 so regular and so numerous in the '' laminated "' structure, which 

 was comparatively free of bacteria, that there seemed to be some 

 decided connection. It should be observed that in the fresh 

 state no definite movement of the spirochaetes could be ob- 

 served, and that there were always some actively motile cer- 

 comonas found present. 



Sections of the intestinal wall demonstrate these nodules to 

 be of the nature of small cysts of the deeper glands, external to the 

 muscularis mucosaeand apparently all these glands are more or less 

 affected. Considerable irritation is evidenced by the accuuuila- 

 tion of lymphocytes and some formation of new fibrous tissue 

 with atrophy of the muscular wall, at the periphery, while the 

 centre is composed of fibrinous material with shed epithelial cells 

 and more or less degenerated polymorphs. Masses of bacteria, 

 chiefly bacilli, showing great irregularity in staining, can be 

 seen present amongst the cells and debris. 



It may be noted that a young pig about six weeks old which 

 was placed in the same pen as these pigs developed a high tern- 



