Microbic Diseases Indkidually Considered. 323 



a clear central space, which are met with in a series of 

 diseases. Hueppe groups these affections under the 

 name of hemorrhagic septiccemias and attributes them 

 all to the same germ. These diseases are : Koch's rab- 

 bit septicismia, fowl cholera, duck cholera, parrot dis- 

 ease, infectious pneumonia of the pig, pneumo-enteritis 

 of the pig, pneumo-enteritis of sheep, epizootic of wild 

 game (Wildseuche), epizootic of ferrets, disease (bar- 

 bone) of buffaloes, etc. It would be superfluous to in- 

 sist on the non-identity of the germs of these different 

 affections,but their close relationship can not be denied. 

 The morphological characters of the germs are almost 

 identical; all take the stain only at their extremities, 

 leaving a clear space in the middle; they do not stain 

 by the Gram method, do not fluidify gelatin, and are 

 pathogenic for rabbits. It is probable that several of 

 the diseases mentioned above are due to one and the 

 same microbe (fowl cholera and rabbit septicemia, 

 for example) and that all these micro-organisms rep- 

 resent varieties of one fundamental species.* 



* [Billings found in specimens of the blood and organs of cattle 

 which had died from the so-called "corn-stalk" or "corn-fodder 

 disease " of the "Western States an organism presenting great mor- 

 phological resemblance to the, germ of "swine plague" (hog 

 cholera) but showing slight differences in its growth on the vari- 

 ous culture media. It belongs to the group of ovoid, bi-polar stain- 

 ing organisms and, according to this author, is the cause of the 

 disease above named. The germ was found to be pathogenic for 

 mice, rabbits and guinea pigs ; subcutaneous inoculation of a steer 

 gave rise to fever, pneumonia and pleurisy, and great emaciation, 

 terminating in recovery. From the original communications on 

 this subject we learn that the germ is identical with a bacterium 

 described by Burril as the cause of a disease of corn (maize) 

 {Ills. Univ. Exper. Sta. Bui. 6), and the cattle become infected by 

 feeding on the leaves of this diseased corn. Horses are also said 



