BACTERIOLOGY OF WHOOPING-COUGH 23 



The increased pathogenicity of this organism when growing with 

 another organism is of great importance, and deserves much more 

 attention and study than has been given to it. This property is 

 directly associated with the other symbiotic phenomena noted earlier 

 in the paper, and probably depends upon the same factors. Under 

 the conditions in which we find these bacilli in the throat, for instance, 

 they are always associated with other organisms, and therefore are 

 thriving under circumstances which permit a manifestation of their 

 greatest virulence and most luxuriant growth. It is also quite pos- 

 sible that the injurious products of such growth may be not only 

 more abundant, but even of a different and more toxic character. 

 It would therefore be improper to draw conclusions from data 

 obtained by growing the organisms in pure culture. 



If one injects intraperitoneally two or three drops of lactic acid in 

 2 c.c. of water one-half hour before the injection of influenza-like 

 bacilli from pertussis, the resistance of the animal toward them is 

 diminished, and it will therefore succumb to smaller amounts of 

 bacilli than otherwise. This is due, in all probability, to the effect 

 of the acid upon the leucocytes, rendering them unable successfully 

 to combat the bacilli. This corresponds with the results obtained 

 by Slatineano, who used this method to raise the virulence of influ- 

 enza bacilli. 



Sputum from whooping-cough patients, containing large numbers 

 of the bacilli, and also pure cultures of this organism, were inoculated 

 into the throat and nasal cavities of a monkey, with no effect. 

 Another monkey, inoculated in the same way with influenza bacilli 

 from a typical case of acute influenza, likewise showed no reaction. 



The reported attempts to produce whooping-cough in human 

 beings by inoculations are of little significance. After producing 

 pertussis-like symptoms in a rabbit with a fungus isolated from 

 pertussis sputum, decaying oranges, apples, etc., which he considered 

 the cause of the disease, Tschamer 1 and his assistant inhaled some 

 of the pulverized mold. In eight days they had symptoms of spas- 

 modic coughing, and the fungus was found in the sputum. In this 

 manner the etiology was settled. Ritter 2 and his assistants inhaled 

 cultures of his diplococcus with no result other than a slight mechani- 



1 Jahrbuch }. Kinderh., 1876, 10, p. 174. Berl. klin. Wchnschr., 1893, 30, p. 1154 



