TUBERCULOSIS. 



393 



tion of miliary tubercles, although by no means 

 directly opposed to this belief. 



An interesting communication relating to the 

 finding of Koch's bacillus in pathological speci- 

 mens which have undergone putrefaction, or in 

 those which have been kept for some time in pre- 

 servative solutions, has recently been made by Vig- 

 nal. This author finds that " putrefaction, even 

 very much advanced, does not seem to interfere 

 with finding the tubercle bacillus. They are also 

 found as easily in pieces kept a long time in 90 

 per cent and absolute alcohol, and in Muller's fluid, 

 as in recent preparations." 



The morphological characters of the tubercle 

 bacillus, as found in sputum, are delineated in 

 Fig. 22. The bacilli are 

 found both within and 

 without the pus-cells, 

 and seem to be espe- 

 cially numerous in the 

 epithelioid cells. They 

 vary greatly in length, 

 and are not infrequently 

 curved or bent at an 

 angle more or less acute. 

 Not infrequently they 



occur 

 little 



in pairs, or in 



groups, 



and 



in 



Fig 22. 



Koch's Bacillus tuberculosis, in sputum; 

 stained by Ehrlich's method. X 1000 

 (G. M. 8., del.) 



some cases it is apparent that they contain endo- 

 genous spores, or that they are made up of a chain 

 of oval elements. 



