BACTERIA IN SURGICAL LESIONS. 443 



support, are in accord with the following propo- 

 sitions which have been established by experimental 

 research and may be accepted as fundamental 

 truths upon which to base our reasoning as regards 

 the role of the bacteria in surgical lesions. 



(a) The blood and tissues of healthy persons do 

 not, under ordinary circumstances, contain bac- 

 terial organisms. 



() Putrefactive decomposition of organic fluids 

 is due to bacterial organisms. 



(c) Albuminous fluids, e. g., blood and pus, 

 which have undergone putrefaction, contain a 

 potent poison, or poisons, which, in comparatively 

 small amount, may produce death in the lower 

 animals. 



We have here a sufficient foundation for the 

 antiseptic treatment of wounds. But in addition 

 to this there are .strong reasons for believing that 

 certain species of bacteria have also the power 

 of invading the tissues, and producing local necro- 

 sis, when for any reason the vital resistance of 

 these tissues is reduced, e. g., from hemorrhage, 

 from starvation, from crowd poisoning, from septic 

 poisoning. Or the same result may perhaps occur 

 when the vital resistance of the tissues is not below 

 par, in consequence of the unusual vigor of the 

 micro-organisms, developed as a result of unusually 

 favorable conditions of environment. As, for ex- 

 ample, when a healthy man, recently wounded, 

 falls a victim to hospital gangrene as the result 

 of infection in a crowded ward, in which this in- 



