16*4 NOTl':S AND MIOMORANDA. 



healthy individuals. That his observations are correct, my 

 own experiments, both in reference to human blood and 

 the blood of various lower animals, will fully show. 

 In the case of rabbits, cats, dogs, and frogs, the special 

 subjects of physiological experiment, I took sufficient pre- 

 cautions to ensure against introduction of organisms from 

 without, by allowing the blood to run directly from the 

 carotid or other large vessel into tubes (previously raised to a 

 white heat), which were then immediately sealed ; or into 

 flasks similarly prepared and stopped with cotton-wool. 

 Human blood was introduced into similar tubes from a slight 

 incision in the arm or hand, previously carefully cleaned. 

 The blood was then placed under a temperature of 100° F. ; 

 and in every instance, at the end of a week or ten days, and 

 in some cases examined first at the end of two months, 

 immense numbers of beautifully formed sarcinge Avere found. 

 In the frog's blood, as well as in human blood and the others, 

 the sarcina?, as to size and otherwise, presented exactly the 

 characters of sarcina ventriculi. Blood taken from the arm 

 of a patient at the height of enteric fever gave the same 

 results. No other organisms] were observed. In all these 

 specimens there was entire absence of putrefactive changes. 

 This would of itself sufficiently establish the fact of freedom 

 from external contamination. 



Though the same precautions against contamination could 

 not be taken with the blood of the sheep and ox, sarcinse 

 Avere developed in a similar manner. With the occurrence 

 of putrefaction, however, they appeared to become disinte- 

 grated, or at least were less easily recognised. I have never 

 observed fully formed sarcinee in the circulating blood, but 

 have constantly found numerous refractive granules, single 

 or in pairs. From these, as have been observed also by 

 Lostorfer, the sarcinse are developed. Their previously 

 doubtful nature is thus satisfactorily explained. 



Though a special examination and cultivation of the blood 

 of every animal would be necessary in order to say with 

 perfect certainty that they exist in every case, sufficient 

 grounds have been shown that they only require to be looked 

 for. 



True sarcinaj have never been found otherwise than in the 

 bodies of animals or their excreta. The real source of sarcina?, 

 therefore, in the various circumstances in which thsy occur, 

 is naturally to be looked for in the blood itself. That they 

 do not occur in mere transudate liquids, the entire absence 

 of them in hydrocele fluid cultivated in a similar manner 

 would seem to show. It is probable, therefore, that their 



