82 



The Fatliological Relations of the 



membranous exudation, in my opinion must have confined their 

 examinations to the false membrane thrown off in the early stage 



Fig. 1. 



+ 350 ^^ 



Section of a Diphtheritic Membrane. 



a. Vertical section composed of condensed tissue and shrunken epithelium 

 cells. 6. Fibrous or connective tissue teased out. c. Involuntary muscular 

 fibres, d. Oidium albicans, e. Pavement epithelium and altered cartilage cells. 



of the disease; that is, when it consists almost exclusively of. an 

 excessive corpuscular infiltration. In some cases, glandular cells 

 are chiefly found : the glands swell, pour out their rapidly-formed 

 contents, together with transparent pus-like corpuscles, but which 

 scarcely behaves like the pus corpuscle when a reagent, as acetic 

 acid, is applied. At this period of the affection nothing like spores, 

 Oidium albicans, will be found in the membrane. 



A portion of a croupous cast, examined under a power of 350 x 

 is seen to consist of pavement and cylindrical, or columnar, epi- 

 thehum, and a transparent albuminous substance entangling the 

 scattered contents of epithelial cells, molecular matters, fat and 

 mucous corpuscles ; and a few foreign liodies, as starch granules, 

 involved in a homogeneous matrix. When stained by a weak 

 solution of ammoniacal carmine or aniline dye, and carefully 



