SYPHILIS. 381 



cocci. These oval elements are found single, in 

 pairs, or in chains of four or five, which greatly 

 resemble long rods with rounded ends. This 

 description agrees with that of Aufrecht: 



" For the demonstration of the organisms in recent 

 preparations, Birch-Hirsclifeld prefers potash, by the 

 clearing action of which the niicrococci are visible in 

 the tissue, on account of their strong refracting power. 

 In a broad condyloma, they lie, for the most part, in 

 small aggregations in the papillae, and in many of the 

 cells of the adjacent layer of the rete Malpighii. They 

 may be readily detected in the juice of a recently ex- 

 cised condyloma, by tinting in the ordinary way ; and 

 of the various staining agents, Birch-Hirschfeld con- 

 cludes that fuchsin and gentian-violet are the best. In 

 the growths in internal organs the smallest micrococci 

 are most abundant, and the larger forms seen in the con- 

 dylomata are seldom met with. In gummatous scars 

 they are sought for in vain. In more recent gummatous 

 products they were most abundant in parts which had 

 the aspect of growing granulation tissue. They were 

 partly scattered, partly aggregated into groups, which 

 never exceeded a granulation-cell in size ; they were 

 also distinctly seen within the cells. Many epithelioid 

 cells seemed to have their nuclei filled with these or- 

 ganisms." 1 



Dr. Bermann of Baltimore finds in absolutely 

 fresh specimens of indurated chancres, " collections 

 of micrococci and fungoid growths, firmly adhering 

 to and partly blocking the lumina of most of the 

 lymphatic vessels." According to this observer, the 



1 London Lancet, December 2, 1882. 



