442 M. ARMAND EUFJi'EE. 



lymphatic glauds, these cells were found to devour numbers 

 of small lymphoid cells. Lastly, all the evidence I could 

 gather seemed to point to the fact that the large epithelioid cells 

 have nothing whatever to do with the development of scar tissue. 



In the filter-paper we find not only these cells, but also true 

 multinucleated giant-cells, resembling those of tubercle. 

 They are formed by the fusion of several epithelioid cells, and 

 it can be seen from the following facts that they have exactly 

 the same functions as epithelioid cells. On careful examination 

 many of them are found to contain peculiar glistening, homo- 

 geneous, irregular, yellowish bodies, which in no wise resemble 

 anything normally found in the animal organism. These 

 foreign bodies are nothing more than partially digested masses 

 of filter-paper which the giant-cells have absorbed. In some 

 cases, indeed, the cells have been fixed by the reagent at the 

 exact moment when they were absorbing the paper fibre ; one 

 may then see one of these giant-cells almost completely sur- 

 rounding the fibre, which is still partly sticking out of the 

 cell. This new fact, together with those described by 

 Metschnikoff, Soudake witch, and myself, absolutely proves that 

 the giant-cell is not a weak and diseased structure (Weigert, 

 Koch), but an extremely active and useful body — a fighting cell. 



Appearances similar to those found in tubercle are easily 

 demonstrated in actinomycosis. 



Professor Crookshauk had already noticed the presence 

 of the peculiar parasite of actinomycosis in the interior of 

 giant-cells. More lately I have, thanks to the kindness of 

 my friends Lingard and Sims Woodhead, obtained a large 

 amount of material from cattle suffering from this disease ; and 

 though I must reserve details of the development of the fungi, 

 both in animals and man, for a future occasion, I may be allowed 

 here to draw attention to a few facts relating to the subject 

 now under consideration as observed in actinomycosis of cattle. 



A nodule of actinomycosis, which has not yet undergone 

 caseation, consists of the central rosette formed by the parasite, 

 and a mass of amoeboid cells of various sizes, the whole nodule 

 being surrounded by a strong capsule of connective tissue. 



