PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION K. 717 



the red cells taking the chromatin stain, and of a fairly uniform 

 size — somewhat about that of a coccus. A few, however, were 

 merely dots, although distinctly taking the chromatin stain. 

 Another noticeable feature was that the bodies were distinctly 

 marginal in their disposition. 



Case No. 2. — Mongoose lemur (Leiinir moiigoz). Died at the 

 Zoological Gardens, 9th May, 1912. Had been visibly ill for 

 some days. Autopsy: The liver contained a number of necrotic 

 foci scattered throughout the parenchyma, each about the size 

 or' a lentil. The spleen also showed a number of similar areas 

 of about the same size. On section the nodules had a dry, 

 dirty-white appearance. The kidneys were softened and clay 

 coloured. The other organs were normal in appearance. The 

 red blood corpuscles contained a number of chromatin bodies re- 

 sembling in every way those present in case No. 1. There were 

 no other marked lesions. The nodules contained bacteria of the 

 colon type. Whether these were the primary cause of the necrotic 

 foci or whether they were secondary invaders need not be dis- 

 cussed here. 



Case No. 3. — Ring-tailed lemur {Lemur cafta). Died sud- 

 denly 13th May, 1912. Autopsy : The liver showed advanced 

 fatty degeneration with a few petechise scattered over the surface. 

 The kidneys were congested and the heart distended. The red 

 corpuscles contained chromatin bodies as in the two previous cases, 

 but they were not so numerously present. Blood lesions were 

 otherwise absent. 



Case No. 4. — Ring-tailed lemur. A young animal, born in 

 the Zooiogical Gardens. Died 14th August, 1912; suddenly. 

 No previous signs of illness having been observed. Autopsy: 

 Liver congested and friable. Kidneys blanched. No other gross 

 lesions. The blood showed numerous normoblasts, moderate poly- 

 chromatophilia and marked anisocytosis. Only one chromatin 

 body could be detected in a smear. 



Case No. 5. — Ring-tailed lemur. This animal had been ailing 

 for some days, and died 8th June, 1912. Fost-mortein examina- 

 tion was not held until forty-eight hours after, but owing to the 

 cold weather decomposition was not too far advanced. No gross 

 lesions could be detected except that the caecum was markedly 

 congested. Scrapings from the mucous membrane revealed numer- 

 ous Balantidium coli in addition to the usual bacterial flora. 

 The blood : Chromatin bodies were very scanty indeed ; only 

 two being found in a smear. The erythrocytes themselves were 

 normal. Naturally, the presence of these intra-corpuscular bodies 

 in greater or fewer numbers, in all of the five dead lemurs ex- 

 amined, aroused a considerable amount of interest. In cases 

 1 and 2, the pronounced fatty degeneration of the liver in both 



