1883.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



199 



President, Dr. M. C. Cooke ; Vice- 

 Presidents, Mr. A. D. Michael, Mr. E. T. 

 Newton, Mr. C. Stewart, Mr. T. C. White ; 

 Treasurer, Mr. F. W. Gay, Secretaries, 

 Mr. J. E. Ingpen, Mr. G. C. Karop; For- 

 eign Secretary, Mr. H. F. Hailes. 



At a meeting of the Biological Soci- 

 ety of Washington, Dr. Thomas Taylor 

 presented an article on " Actinomykosis, 

 the fungus growth on the throat and 

 lungs." He illustrated it with photo- 

 graphs of enlarged microscopic views of 

 the fungus in different stages of develop- 

 ment. He said : The fungus actinomyces 

 is supposed to be the cause of a deadly 

 disease named by the Germans actinomy- 

 kosis. This disease is closely allied to 

 tuberculosis, and ib sometimes con- 

 founded with it. It produces large tuber- 

 cles on the trachea, consolidates the lungs, 

 depositing calcareous cartilaginous no- 

 dules, death ensuing by asphyxia. 



The thoracic viscera of a Newfoundland 

 dog which died of an unknown disease 

 was sent to Dr. Taylor for microscopic 

 examination. The base of the trachea 

 was covered with large tubercles, some of 

 them an inch in diameter. The two prin- 

 cipal lobes of the lung were white and 

 consolidated, and a soft, gelatinous sub- 

 stance, about half an inch in diameter and 

 three inches in length, extended from the 

 largest tubercle of the trachea to the apex 

 of the right lung. On examining a portion 

 of this gelatinous body under the micro- 

 scope. Dr. Taylor found it to consist of 

 the mycelium or spawn of a fungus, 

 hitherto undescribed in mycological 

 works. The fungus exhibited new and 

 peculiar points of interest. Its cell-struc- 

 ture was of the most varied character, 

 each individual cell having a yellow- 

 colored patch within it. Branching out 

 from the mycelium, or spawn, were nu- 

 merous stalks or pedicles bearing the 

 fruit of this fungus, having the appear- 

 ance under the microscope of a tiny for- 

 est of microscopic mushrooms, each of 

 these mushroom-like forms being not 

 over one-thousandth of an inch in di- 

 ameter. On examining the bronchi of 

 the lungs traces were found of branches 

 of the mycelium. It then occurred to the 

 doctor that he might be able to cultivate 

 this fungus from this spawn, and thereby 

 obtain a life-history of this microscopic 

 plant. This he succeeded in doing, and 

 discoveied at least eight distinct stages 

 of its growth. He found also by experi- 

 ments that every stage of its growth had 



the power of reproduction. Dr. Taylor 

 illustrated his remarks by drawings and 

 photographs and mounted slides of the 

 fungus in its various stages shown by mi- 

 croscopes of high power. Dr. D. E. 

 Salmon followed Prof. Taylor in a sketch 

 of the pathology of the disease. My 

 remarks, he said, are intended to be sug- 

 gestive rather than to bring up all the 

 details that have been observed in connec- 

 tion with the subject. There are a num- 

 ber of reasons why this fungus and this 

 disease are peculiarly interesting. In the 

 first place, it is another addition to the 

 list of germ-diseases. The presence of 

 this fungus in all cases of disease of a 

 certain character in various parts of 

 the world, and its growth in the in- 

 terior of the affected parts, together 

 with the fact that the trouble may be 

 communicated from one animal to another 

 by inoculation, are the chief points which 

 connect this organism with the causation 

 of the disease. 



Although it grows in the deepest organs 

 of the body, the lesions produced are of a 

 local nature. It does not multiply in all 

 parts of the body at once, nor in the circu- 

 lating liquids, as does the germs of some 

 contagious fevers ; but it is generally con- 

 fined to a particular organ, in which it 

 forms a swelling or tumor of a progressive 

 nature which usually ends in death. In 

 this respect it forms a connecting link be- 

 tween the diseases produced by fungi and 

 by bacteria. While the latter in certain 

 diseases multiply in all the liquids of the 

 body, there are other cases in which they 

 are unable to penetrate beyond the af- 

 fected organ, or at least not until the last 

 stages of disease. This fungus is also 

 interesting because of the number of 

 distinct species which it attacks. Six- 

 teen cases in the human subject have 

 already been recorded, while it is known 

 to affect horses, cattle, swine and dogs. 



To the investigator of contagious dis- 

 eases this subject is peculiarly interesting 

 at present, because the lesions so closely 

 resemble those of tuberculosis and 

 scrofula. The new views in regard to the 

 contagiousness of tuberculosis and its 

 parasitic origin, have been chiefly combat- 

 ted by those who consider all tulSercles to 

 be pathologically identical; while the 

 truth seems to be that the same appear- 

 ance may be produced by a variety of 

 causes. Thus, but a few months ago a 

 f>ench investigator described a form of 

 tubercles that was even microscopically 

 identical with what is known as true tu- 



