STUDY OF BACTERIOLYTIC PHENOMENA. 



I2 3 



2. Dilutions of immune serum + a heterologous culture. 



3. (a) Bouillon + typhoid-culture. 



(b) Bouillon + heterologous culture. 



The study of the bacteriolytic phenomena follows the inoculation. For 

 this purpose capillary pipettes to withdraw the peritoneal exudate are pre- 

 pared according to the directions of von Issaeff. 



A thin glass tube is heated in a Bunsen flame almost to the melting 

 point, then removed from the flame and immediately drawn out with a sud- 

 den jerk. Very fine capillary pipettes can be thus made. 



The removal of the exudate is accomplished as follows: a small cut is 

 made with scissors through the skin of the guinea-pig's abdomen; the capil- 

 lary pipette, the large end of which is kept closed with the index finger, is 

 forced into the abdominal cavity with a single push. The pressure of the 

 finger is next relaxed and the tube slowly withdrawn. In order to avoid 

 injuring the intestines, the precautions usually advised in intraperitoneal 

 inoculations should be observed here. The author has found Friedberger's 

 method of holding the animal very serviceable (see Fig. 5). The procedure 

 is absolutely painless, moreover, the ordinarily sensitive guinea-pigs with- 

 stand the operation almost without uttering a sound. 



It is best to withdraw the exudate immediately after the injection and 

 then at intervals of five to ten, twenty, and thirty minutes, etc. Observations 

 are made directly in hanging-drop preparations. Stained specimens are 

 less reliable and instructive because, according to the investigations of 

 Radziewsky, the findings are dependent upon the kind of coloring matter 

 used. Bacteria which are in the process of dissolution soon lose the power 

 of being stained by methylene blue, while they retain their affinity for 

 carbol-fuchsin and aqueous solution of gentian violet. The production of 

 granules occurs only incompletely in stained preparations. 



The prognosis for the animal quoad vitam, is unfavorable, if bacterioly- 

 sis does not occur; good, if it does. Yet there are exceptions to the latter 

 rule, a subject to which reference will be made later on. Now that the 

 most important technical details of the Pfeiffer phenomenon have been con- 

 sidered, the protocol following will more clearly illustrate their procedure. 



Tit-ration of a bacteriolytic serum (after Pfeiffer) . 



