162 THE AMERICAISr MONTHLY [iMay 



junctivu in specific (liphthcria and oIIkt infections and in 

 the normal conjunctixa on rare occasions. — Medicine. 



On the Xerosis Bacillus. — J. Eyre (Journal of Patholojry 

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

 studies upon the bacillus of xerosis conjunctivae. 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, irregularly 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 w hen 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 brawn V infiltration of the subcutaneous tissue. The 

 ocular coniuncli\a was chemosed; the palpeliral portion 

 congested and thickened, ])resenting patches of a pale 

 grayish-yellow membrane, which stripped off easil_v, 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 di[)htheria 

 bacillus invariably does. 



?>. When grown upon ])otato, the xerosis bacillus rapidly 

 degenerates and dies; the diphtheria l)acillus grows with 

 more vigor and tt) a greater si/e tliaii on any other medium. 



