SPIROCHETOSIS OP SUDANESE FOWLS 91 



observed exhibiting a large body with four small ones in close attendance, and, in addition, another small body 

 situated by itself. The large l.iody, to which the four small ones had by this time formed a kind of tail, impinged 

 against the small separate body, and was arrested by it. As a result, the " tail " moved on and passed in front of 

 the large body, which itself eventually slipped past the smaller one. In one instance a spirochaete was seen 

 apparently attached, by one end, to a body which formed one of four in a corpuscle; the smallest of the four, the 

 only one not quite spherical in shape, and the only one of the four exhibiting motility. Some spirochfetes were 

 still living and motile eight hours after the preparation of this film, which had been kept throughout at room 

 temperature, i.e. about 35° C. 



March 22. A great reduction in the number of spirochsetes both in fresh and in stained tilms noted. 

 A motile body presenting a filament was watched for one hour. After an interval of two and three-quarter 

 hours the film was again examined, and the body was found to have almost vanished, a localised granular 

 appearance in the spongioplasm of the corpuscle alone remaining. Another body was seen which appeared to lie 

 discharging actively motile granules into the liquor xavc/iiinif!, but I was unable to satisfy myself on this point. 



The chick at this date was ill, with ruffled feathers and drooping head, but took food readily. 



March 23. Temperature of chick, 105'5° F. No free spirochaetes in either fresh or stained films. No 

 increase in the number of intra-corpuscular bodies. Motile forms of these latter again visilile, one exhibiting a 

 filament watched both by Captain Archibald and myself. The following is a brief record of the observations: — 



5.45 p.m. : Body active and central filament very active, lashing to and fro. 6 p.m. : Only change noted was 

 an appearance as though the body was throwing out a pseudopodium towards the periphery of the red blood 

 corpuscle. 6.15 p.m.: Central filament still active. No further change. 7.20 p.m.: As above. 



Observation discontinued, but resumed at 9 p.m. when the body was found to have disappeared, the granular 

 condition of the spongioplasm remaining as in other cases. In addition there was seen a distinct, though slight, 

 jirotrusion of the corpuscular envelope, opposite the spot where the body had last been seen. 



Stained films showed nothing special save that one body exhiliited a tiny chromatin rod projecting from it, an 

 appearance previously figured in one of the coloured plates of the Third Report of these laboratories. (Plate VI.) 



March 24. No spirochsetes, but an undoubted increase in the number of liodies. This was true both of fresh 

 and stained films, but was better marked in the case of the latter. A motile body with filament was observed to 

 contract and change shape prior to becoming practically invisible. Motility was not so marked in the bodies 

 generally, and those showing filaments were distinctly in the minority. In stained films, gaps were seen in some 

 of the corpuscles, and the large size of many of the bodies was noted. Multiple infection was common. The bird 

 was worse and very somnolent, but would wake up to take food, and at times was finite lively. 



March 25. No motile bodies and none with filaments seen. Otherwise as above. 



March 26. Spirochfetes were once more present, though not in large numbers. Several were, to all 

 appearance, attached to the bodies. 



March 27. An extraordinary film. The spirochaetes were present in enormous numbers, occurring free and in 

 tangles, while the bodies had also undergone a great increase in number. In fresh films they did not exhibit 

 motility or filaments ; in stained preparations " spore " forms were visible. The tendency for the free spirochetes 

 to form coils and loops was again noted. By night the chick was very ill and weak, so it was chloroformed and a 

 post mortem performed. There was a condition of general anemia of the tissues and organs. The heart muscle 

 was exceedingly pale. There were marked green patches on the surface and in the interior of the liver, which 

 proved, on section and staining by Mayer's hfemalum, to lie areas of necrosis, the condition being like that 

 sometimes seen in syphilitic livers. The green colour suggested chloroma. 



Smears were made from the heart's blood, liver, spleen, lung, and bone-marrow. Those of the lung were most 

 interesting, owing to the vast number of spirochaetes present, but otherwise nothing special was noted. The liver, 

 spleen and lung were prepared by the Levaditi-Manouelian method, but no spirochfetes could be found in these 

 tissues. Qalli-Valerio,' using the Volpino-Levaditi method, never found spirochfetes in liver sections even when 

 the free parasites were present in the circulation. As will have been noticed, I sometimes succeeded, sometimes 

 failed, but would observe that sometimes a high ocular, Zeiss No. 12, was necessary along with the l/12th oil 

 immersion in order to make absolutely certain of their presence. Unfortunately the presence or absence of 

 granules was not noted. 



In conclusion, I do not know that these earliei' researches threw much fresh light on 

 the chief problem — the nature of the bodies. Certain powerful evidence was no doubt 

 forthcoming to show that they are, as previously stated, spirochsetal inclusions, but at the 

 same time certain apparently puzzling facts were demonstrated which tended to confuse 

 the issue. 



One has not been able to observe their actual formation in the red cells by any of 

 the methods employed and, without this demonstration, any array of proofs is of necessity 

 somewhat incomplete. Still, despite certain difiBculties, I adhere, especially in the light 

 of observations yet to be recorded, to my former opinion and, as stated, am forced to 

 believe that these inclusions are not the direct result of spirochaetes invading the 

 erythroblasts and breaking down therein, but are due to an entry of small granules 

 derived from the chromatin cores of spirochaetes which have already disintegrated. If 

 this be so I am well-nigh persuaded the action takes place in the internal organs, 

 more especially the liver and possibly also in the spleen and lungs. Did it occur 



' Qalli-Valerio loc. cit. 



