Relation of the Organisms to One Another 479 



SPIROCH^TA VINCENTI (PLAUT- VINCENT). 



Plaut* and Vincent t observe that in the ulcerative and 

 necrotic pharyngitis described, together with the fusiform 

 bacilli, there were varying numbers of spiral organisms. 

 These were difficult to stain, always took faint but uniform 

 coloring, varied in length, and showed such irregular and 

 non-uniform undulations as to appear more serpentine than 

 "corkscrew-like." They seem never to occur without as- 

 sociated fusiform bacilli. The writers believed these organ- 

 isms and not the bacilli to be the cause of the angina, but the 

 relation of the organisms to one another and to the morbid 

 conditions with which they were associated was a point long 

 under debate, since none of those studying either organism 

 succeeded in artificially cultivating them. 



RELATION OF THE ORGANISMS TO ONE ANOTHER. 



We have, in Vincent's angina, to do with two micro-organ- 

 isms that occur in habitual association. Neither was found to 

 be cultivable by the earlier writers. The spirochaeta could 

 not be cultivated by Vincent, and of the various fusiform 

 bacilli, one found by Babes in scurvy, which was obviously 

 different from the others, was alone susceptible of cultivation. 

 Later, however, reports were made of the growth of the organ- 

 isms in mixed cultures. Still later, Veillon and Zuber, 

 Ellermann, Weaver, and Tunnicliff were able to secure pure 

 cultures of the fusiform bacillus. Quite a number of writers 

 reached the conclusion that the organisms were not different, 

 but were different stages of the same organism. This was 

 finally proved by Tunnicliff, J who found that in pure cultures 

 of Bacillus fusiformis, after forty-eight hours, spiral organisms 

 resembling those seen in smear preparations from the original 

 source were found. From Tunnicliff 's results it must be 

 concluded that Bacillus fusiformis and Spirochaeta vincenti 

 are .identical organisms in different stages of their life-history. 

 Which, however, is the perfect form is not known, what the 

 true nature of the organism is, is not known, nor can it be 

 determined at present whether it is more correctly classified 

 among the bacteria or among the protozoa. 



* "Deutsche Med. Wochenschrift," 1894, xux. 



f "Ann. de 1'Inst. Pasteur," 1896, 488. 



J "Journal of Infectious Diseases," 1906, in, 148. 



