242 BACTERIA 



(bodies allied to the proteids) upon the heat-regulating 

 centres in the brain. Whenever we get a bacillus growing 

 in the body which has the power of producing a toxin 

 alburnose, we get fever as a result of that product acting 

 upon the brain. Albumoses, as a matter of fact, cause a 

 number of symptoms and poisonous effects, but the mention 

 of one as an illustration will suffice. Toxins act, roughly 

 speaking, in two ways : 



(1) They have a local action, as, for example, in the form- 

 ation of an abscess. The presence of the causal bacteria in 

 the tissue brings about very marked changes. There is a 

 multiplication of connective-tissue corpuscles, an emigration 

 of leucocytic cells, a congestion of blood corpuscles. All 

 these elements assist in creating a swelling and redness, and 

 pain by the subsequent pressure upon the delicate nerve 

 endings. These, as we all know, are the symptoms of a 

 " gathering " or abscess. It is a " gathering in a strict 

 pathological sense a gathering of cells to oust the intruder 

 or build around it a wall or capsule as a protective measure. 

 Now the toxin will commence its local action. The oldest 

 cells in the mass of congestion will be caused to break down 

 into liquid ; what is called a necrosis, or death, will rapidly 

 set in ; and we shall have the connective-tissue cells, leuco- 

 cytes, blood corpuscles, etc., losing their form and function, 

 and " coming to a point " as matter, or pus. The local 

 breaking down of these gatherings of cells into fluid matter 

 is believed to be the work, not of the bacteria themselves, 

 but of their toxins. 



(2) Toxins may be absorbed and distributed generally 

 throughout the body. They produce degenerative changes 

 in muscles, in organs, and in the blood itself. Let us take 

 diphtheria as an example. The bacillus occurs in a false 

 membrane in the throat and occasionally other parts. It 

 causes first the inflammatory condition giving rise to the 

 membrane, and then it breaks it down. In the body of the 



