162 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [May 



junctiva in specific diphtheria and other infections and in 

 the normal conjunctiva on rare occasions. — Medicine. 



On the Xerosis Bacillus. — J. Eyre (Journal of Patholog-y 

 and Bacteriolog-y, July, 1896) g-ives a report of interesting 

 studies upon the bacillus of xerosis conjunctivEe. Twelve 

 cases were examined, six being- in males and six in females. 

 Of the females, two were classmates and the remaining- 

 four were members of one family — an interval of about a 

 week was noted between the onset of the attack in the 

 mother and the three children. The cases were charac- 

 terized clincally by a number of small, irreg-ularly oval- 

 shaped, pinkish, edematous bodies, situated in the lower 

 conjunctival fornix, and not encroaching- upon the ocular 

 conjunctiva. Injection of the conjunctival vessels, lacry- 

 mation, photophobia, inability to continue at work requir- 

 ing close observation, distress at night and when using 

 artificial light, were among the symptoms. 



In contrast to these cases he reports a case of true con- 

 junctival diphtheria. The patient was a boy aged four 

 years. Both eyes were affected, the lids being painful, 

 red, and swollen, and separable with difficulty owing to 

 the brawny infiltration of the subcutaneous tissue. The 

 ocular conjunctiva was chemosed; the palpebral portion 

 congested and thickened, presenting patches of a pale 

 grayish-yellow membrane, which stripped off easily, leav- 

 ing a raw bleeding surface. 



The differences between the xerosis bacillus and the 

 diphtheria bacillus are given as follows: 



1. After inoculation of the secretion upon blood-serum, 

 colonies of the xerosis bacillus do not appear within thirty- 

 six hours; those of the diphtheria bacillus appear in six- 

 teen to eighteen hours. 



2. When grown in neutral bouillon or milk, the xerosis 

 bacillus never gives rise to an acid reaction; the diphtheria 

 bacillus invariably does. 



3. When grown upon potato, the xerosis bacillus rapidly 

 degenerates and dies; the diphtheria bacillus grows with 

 ^nore vigor and to a greater size than on any other medium. 



