412 J. RUSSELL ESTY 



injection of 2 cc. of a virulent glucose broth culture, grown at 

 37.5° for eight to ten hours, into the subcutaneous tissue of the 

 abdomen of a guinea-pig gave rise to typical gas gangrene and 

 caused the death of the pig in from twelve to thirty hours, depend- 

 ing on the virulence of the culture. When pure cultures of 

 virulent organisms are injected subcutaneously the injection 

 leads to necrosis of all the tissues surrounding the point of inocu- 

 lation with the presence of rapidly spreading gas phlegmons, 

 giving rise to a local swelling and liquefying necrosis of the 

 involved muscle and skin. The hair of the pig around the inocu- 

 lated area pulls out very easily, exposing the skin which is free 

 from the body wall. If the animal survives, a large abscess is 

 formed which later bursts, and recovery occurs with eventual 

 sloughing and cicatrization. At autopsy after death an abundant 

 sero-sanguinous exudate is formed extending along the entire 

 abdominal cavity containing Clostridium Welchii in pure culture 

 with very few pus cells. There is an extensive muscle necrosis 

 and disintegration of the fat extending from the injection along 

 the greater part of the abdomen and in some cases extending along 

 the legs and up to the neck. The abscess may extend along the 

 entire abdominal and thoracic regions. Muscles and connective 

 tissues are so badly necrosed that they assume a semi-liquid 

 condition filled with gas bubbles, giving off a characteristic 

 strong butyric acid odor. The amount of gas varies very much, 

 in some cases there may be only a few bubbles, and in other cases 

 tissues everywhere are blown up with gas. After death there 

 may be a rapid swelling of the subcutaneous tissues and gas 

 bubbles may be found in the heart, blood vessels and other 

 organs. Certain organs, especially the liver, offer more favorable 

 food supply for growth and development with gas formation 

 than do others, but even in the liver, cases occur where bacilli 

 are present without gas. In the spleen and kidneys gas bacilli 

 are present in clumps, at times, surrounded by necrotic ' areas 

 with gas formation. The bacilli are most numerous in the dis- 

 organized and necrotic tissue, fewer in the bloody exudate and 

 very few or absent in the heart's blood. Cultures were also 

 recovered from the intestines and sometimes from the stomach 



