286 BACTERIA IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 



in gelatine cultures and causes liquefaction of the 

 culture medium. Efforts to inoculate the lower 

 animals have not been successful. Nor are they 

 likely to be; for several experimenters (Magen- 

 die, Meyer, Lindsay) had previously demonstrated 

 the insusceptibility of various animals, by intro- 

 ducing material from the stools of cholera patients 

 into the stomach, veins, and sub-cutaneous tissue, 

 with a negative result. 



ERYSIPELAS. The infectious nature of erysip- 

 elas has been abundantly demonstrated, both by 

 clinical and experimental evidence. The trans- 

 mission of vaccinal erysipelas from one child to 

 several others, and the communication of the dis- 

 ease by instruments previously used in dressing 

 erysipelatous wounds, has been noted by physi- 

 cians. Orth has also shown, by a series of twenty- 

 three experiments, that the disease may be com- 

 municated by inoculation from man to the lower 

 animals. 



Numerous observers Hiiter, Nepveu, Wilde, 

 Orth, Wahlberg, and others have noted the 

 presence of micrococci in the inflamed tissues, and 

 especially in the oedema of erysipelas. 



Fehleisen has recently given strong experi- 

 mental evidence in favor of the pathogenic role 

 of these micrococci. Not only has he demon- 

 strated their presence in every case of erysipelas 

 examined by him (13 cases), but he has succeeded 

 in cultivating them, and has successfully inocu- 

 lated men and animals with the cultivated micro- 



