BACTERIOLOGIC STUDIES IN CHRONIC ARTHRITIS 



AND CHOREA 1 



J. H. RICHARDS 



Departments of Clinical Pathology and Medicine, Cornell University Medical 

 College, New York City 



Receivedfor publication March 22, 1920 

 I. BACTERIOLOGICAL STUDIES IN ARTHRITIS 



This work was part of a study of chronic arthritis undertaken 

 to determine whether any constant cultural or immunologic 

 streptococcus was associated with the disease. At the outset it 

 was found necessary to define clearly the type of the disease 

 studied on account of the ever changing terminology due to etio- 

 logic studies, and consequent changes in classification. For in- 

 stance, one case of gonorrhoeal arthritis may simulate a case 

 of acute rheumatic fever, and another an arthritis deformans. 

 A complete bacteriologic study is necessary for a proper classi- 

 fication, and the bacteriologic studies in arthritis are by no 

 means yet finished. Therefore any classification now given will 

 have to be changed as the result of subsequent studies. How- 

 ever, so that the type of case studied may be somewhat defined, 

 it may be well to state in a broad way a possible general 

 classification. 



Arthritis 



Non-bacterial in origin 



a. Traumatic 



b. Metabolic including gout, acute and chronic 



c. Following injection of diphtheria antitoxin and other sera 



d. Secondary to nervous diseases, e.g., tabes 



e. Associated with certain diseases, e.g., scurvy, hemophilia, 



purpura, etc. 



1 Presented before the Society of American Bacteriologists, December 31, 1919. 



511 



JOURNAI, OF BACTERIOLOGY, VOL. V, NO. 5 



