98 



Xmrecognisíüjle, the germs still take aiii- 

 lln dyes; this indicates that the disaggre- 

 galiou of organised matter, if begun at 

 all, was not completed. 



What is observed in a general way 

 with the ordinary nm of bacteria is still 

 more evident in the case of KOCH's ba- 

 cillus. 



The cultures on solid media of B. 

 tuljerculosis, even when died out in the 

 course of time, show under microscopic 

 observation the greater part of the micro- 

 bes intact, sometimes with forms of in- 

 volution, more granular than in pros- 

 pering colonies, but always individually 

 recognisable. Side by side with these, 

 free granulations are found in much 

 greater numbers than in developing cul- 

 tures. 



In ancient cultures in liquid media 

 the granulai* disaggregation and the al- 

 leration of the germs are still more noti- 

 ceable. 



This cannot, however, be considered 

 to be a complete lysis of the microbian 

 body since the cultures are always recog- 

 nisable by their shape even cultures of 

 more than two years of age. 



Alteration in the form of the bacilli 

 and a setting-free of the granulations 

 may be verified but the dilution and dis- 

 appearance of the proteic substances 

 which make up the body of the gra- 

 ..iulation cannot be observed in a posi- 

 tive way. 



Long experience allows me to con- 

 clude that «i'n the absence of foreign cau- 

 ses intervening the granulations of the 

 Bacillus tuberculosis are not dissolved by 

 cadaveric autolysis». 



20— The research for ferments ela- 

 borated by cultures of B. tuberculosis 

 have been almost entirely fruitless. 



BAUDRAN (1) ascertained the exis- 

 tence of an anaeroxydasis, the existence 

 of which could be revealed by guaiac 

 solution operating with absolute alcohol 

 on live bacilli. 

 ^ , CARRIÈRE (2) found a lipasis simi- 



lar to or identical with the lipasis stu- 

 died by HENRIOT and recognisal)le by 

 its decomposition of raonobutyrin. 



The researches which I carried out 

 j in 1911 [FONTES (3) ] usmg the technic 

 of MALFITENO (4'^ were entirely nega- 

 tive as to the existence of proteolytic 

 ferments, zyma.ses or oxydases. 



And, in reality, experiments agree 

 j with what is observed in aged cultures. 

 If the ageing of the cultures rendors the 

 granulations more abundant this obser- 

 vation supports the vie<v Lbat there are no 

 ferments to digest them. Nor can the dis- 

 aggregation of the granulatioiu or the 

 modification of the bacilli in cultures 

 be admitted as the action of the lipasis 

 found by CARRIÈRE. 



The production of lipa.sis being a vi- 

 tal act, the ferment should exert its ac- 

 tion in vivo, and in that case the germs 

 would not keep tbeir morphological in- 

 tegrity ill the lesions. 



Now, it is known that only the actioH 

 of a specific cellular lipasis Ls able to 

 modify the morphology of the bacillus 

 [FONTES (5)] [FIESSINGER and MA- 

 RIE (6)]. 



Another argument is drawn from the 

 following fact. In the mo.st flourishing 

 period of development of the culture 

 the acme of vitality is represented, 

 in culture broths, by the greatest richess 

 in products elaborated by the germs^ 

 and yet at this time the bacillary bodies 

 show a good constitution and dispersed 

 granulations are relatively .scaree. 



«rAe contrary should take place if 

 this disaggregation depended on a fer- 

 ment elaboraied by the microber>. 



3o— Ttie third hypothesis in a mea- 

 suie casts light on the phenomcnoB ia 

 <|uestion. 



The chemical composition of ttie 

 I tubercle bacillus indicates an abundam» 

 of higher alcohols, non-satui-ated fatty 

 acids and several phosphatides. 



In vitro, cîeaving and eTCB lytic ac- 



