2i 4 PHYSIC 



occurrence of more or less acute pains, confined principally 

 to the muscles and fibrous structures of the limbs, with 

 intercurrent or subsequent involvement of the joints of 

 these limbs, accompanied by considerable febrile and 

 general disturbance. 



How the gonococcus in this disease reaches the muscles, 

 fibrous structures, and joints, is a question very difficult 

 to answer, whether it reaches them by way of the blood 

 circulation through the entrance of the gonococcal bacillus 

 into its stream and its subsequent deposition in the tex- 

 tures of these parts, or whether it effects an entrance, like 

 syphilis, into the cerebro-spinal fluid or lymph, and there- 

 after enters the motor nerve sheaths from the cerebro-spinal 

 cavity, where its multiplication and growth have been 

 effected, or, as is most likely, in both ways. The latter 

 method, however, deserves study, and we may take it that 

 the virus effects an entry into the nerve terminal distri- 

 bution of the urethral nervature through the inflamed 

 and traumatised mucosa, and pushes its way, by a process 

 of continuous sepsis or contamination of the neural 

 lymph and microbal growth, along the inter-neurilemmar 

 lymph paths into the cerebro-spinal lymph cavities, where, 

 incubating anew, it is diverted into and along the motor 

 nerve inter-neurilemmar lymph spaces, between which and 

 the gonococcus there apparently exists a mutual affinity, 

 where it progresses in like manner until it reaches the 

 muscles and other susceptible textures, as well as the joints, 

 where the vitality of the microbic brood is found to be 

 as robust as when its progenitors left the urethral canal. 



Thus these two diseases, syphilis and gonorrhoea, have 

 a somewhat similar line and manner of attack, and a some- 

 what analogous method of invasion, but a very dissimilar 

 after history as regards their respective temporary and per- 

 sistent after effects on the affected individuals, as well as 

 on their progeny. 



The frequency with which these and other kindred 

 diseases enter the system, either directly or indirectly by 

 invasion of the neural lymph and lymph inter-spaces and 

 paths, becomes more and more apparent as we look more 

 deeply into their etiology and manner of development ; 

 we, therefore, cannot help thinking that valuable infor- 



