52 BACTERIOLOGY. 



cians without danger to the patient. The fluid re- 

 covered in this manner is received into* sterile test- 

 tubes, and immediately centrifuged to throw down 

 the cellular elements contained, in it. After this has 

 been done the deposit is spread thinly on slides, ap- 

 propriately stained, and examined under the micro- 

 scope. The meningococcus when present is identified 

 by its shape and arrangement in pairs, and by its 

 location within the bodies of the leucocytes. The 

 macro-organism may be cultivated from the spinal 

 fluid. In addition to its use as a diagnostic aid, lum- 

 bar puncture is very often the means of relieving the 

 symptoms of pressure due to an excessive amount 

 of fluid in the spinal canal, and for this reason it is 

 customary to remove a large amount of the fluid. 



The meningococcus is spread by the discharges 

 from the mouth, nose, and ears of patients sick with 

 meningitis, and it is not infrequent to find the organ- 

 isms in the secretions of the nose and mouth of those 

 attending them. Occasionally they may be found in 

 the nasal secretions of healthy people who may act as 

 preven- carriers of the infection. To prevent the disease from 

 spreading it is essential first of all to remove the 

 patient from contact with others, especially during the 

 first two weeks of the disease, for at this period the 

 infection is most virulent. Then all discharges from 

 the mouth, nose, eyes, and ears should be collected on 

 cloths and paper napkins and burned. Nurses in 

 attendance should use great care to disinfect the 

 hands after handling the patient, and spray the nose 



