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masses of soft cream-like matter, in the intervals between 

 which the highly-injected vessels stand out with great dis- 

 tinctness. The masses of bioplasm would now be called pus 

 corpuscles. Here then is an interesting example of the 

 production of pus-corpuscles by the rapid growth and multi- 

 plication of particles of bioplasm which were once in the 

 blood, and intimately related to the white blood-corpuscles. 



But further : if, as is well known, a little of this mate- 

 rial be introduced into the body, as sometimes unfortu- 

 nately happens from a dissection-wound in the course of 

 making a post-mortem examination, terrible inflammation 

 may be excited in the person inoculated. The most tiny 

 morsel of this virulent, rapidly-multiplying morbid bioplasm 

 may give rise to a dreadfid form of blood-poisoning, which 

 may end fatally and in a very short time. And in some cases 

 similar poisonous particles are so light that they are sup- 

 ported by the air, may find their way into the blood through 

 the respiratory organs, or gain access to the circulating fluid 

 even by traversing the narrow chinks between the epithelial 

 cells of the cuticle. 



Now, what is the nature of the matter inoculated, which 

 produces these dreadful results ? The virulent poison which 

 sometimes destroys life in cases of dissection-wounds cannot 

 be attributed to the presence of vegetable germs, for the 

 period of its most virulent activity is shortly after death, but 

 before the occurrence of putrefaction, when the vegetable 

 fungus germs multijjly. 



It has been assumed that the poison in question is not 

 developed until after death has occurred. But no one has 

 shown that if inoculation were effected while the patient yet 

 lived, the results would be in any way different. There is 

 surely no more doubt that such poison is developed dviring 

 life, than that small-pox and syphilitic poison, and many others, 

 "which, I have shown, are allied to it, and probably grow and 

 multiply in the same manner, increase during life. 



When putrefaction has actually set in, and bacteria germs 

 are being developed in immense numbers, a punctured wound 

 is not productive of the dire consequences which result if 

 inoculation takes place within a few hours after death. In 

 fact, the real virus loses its power when decomposition com- 

 mences. Before vegetable germs appear the virus is active ; 

 soon after these have been developed it is harmless. Its 

 power cannot, therefore, be attributed to the germs but to 

 something else which continues to live and remain active for 

 a short time after death, and then becomes changed and dis- 

 appears, the products resulting like those remaining after the 



