7 i8 



Tuberculosis 



of any practical interest, as is only to be expected when one 

 considers the pathology of the disease and remembers that 

 accident may cause wide variations in the quality, if not in 

 the quantity of the sputum. 



Staining the Bacillus in Urine. The detection of tuber- 

 cle bacilli in the urine is sometimes easy, sometimes difficult. 

 The centrifuge should be used and the collected sediment 

 spread upon the glass. If there be no pus or albumin in 

 the urine, it is necessary to add a little white of egg to 



Fig. 238. Bacillus tuberculosis in sputum, stained with carbolic fuchsin 

 and aqueous methylene-blue. X 1000 (Ohlmacher). 



secure good fixation of the urinary sediment to the glass. 

 The method of staining is the same as that for sputum. 

 The smegma bacillus (q. v.) is apt to be present in the urine, 

 and the precaution must be taken to wash the specimen with 

 absolute alcohol, so that it may be decolorized and confusion 

 avoided. 



Staining the Bacillus in Feces. It is difficult to find 

 tubercle bacilli in the feces because of the relatively small 

 number of bacilli and large bulk of feces. 



In all cases where the detection of tubercle bacilli in pus 

 or secretions is a matter of clinical importance, it must be 



