Physiology of Pathogenic 31icrobes. 77 



which resist are then capable of multiplying ; hence, 

 the normal microbicidal property of the blood is tem- 

 porary, not permanent. Fresh blood kills the bacillus 

 of charbon, but constitutes a suitable medium for its 

 cultivation eight days after its removal from the ves- 

 sels. It seems to be established that, when we inject 

 these bacilli into the blood, they multiply there only 

 after having previously multiplied in one or more 

 organs in which they have been arrested. When 

 only a small number of microbes have been intro- 

 duced they may all be destroyed, and then the inocu- 

 lation fails. 



I^on-pathogenic microbes, introduced into the 

 blood, disappear from this fluid, becoming arrested 

 in the fine capillaries of the liver, spleen, marrow of 

 bones, and kidneys, in which situation they are 

 quickly destroyed. 



Pathogenic microbes have a similar experience 

 when they are inoculated in small doses into the cir- 

 culation ; like the preceding, they are consigned to 

 the fine capillaries of the parenchymatous organs 

 and there sustain the conflict with the phagocytic 

 elements (endothelial cells, white corpuscles, etc.) 

 According as the issue of this conflict proves favor- 

 able to the microbes or to the phagocytes we may 

 expect the appearance or non-appearance of the dis- 

 ease. 



The evolution of the microbic disease is accom- 

 panied, when the disease is non-recurrent, by the pro- 

 duction of the bactericidal property. This condition 

 is slowly evolved by the progressive action of the 

 soluble microbic products upon the fluids and tissues. 

 When it has acquired sufficient intensity it may lead 



