II.] DISTRIBUTION OF COMMA-BACILLI. 29 



straight bacilli tolerably numerous. The small straight 

 bacilli exceedingly numerous. 



8. Case 48. Death after 14 hours. P.m. after half an 

 hour ; great abundance of comma-bacilli, and also numerous 

 minute straight bacilli. 



9. Case 51. Death after 9^ hours. P.m. after one hour; 

 various kinds of bacilli. The minute straight bacilli in 

 extraordinary numbers. Comma-bacilli of three different 

 kinds distinguished by their various thicknesses, some 

 exceedingly minute, others five and six times as big, and a 

 third variety corresponding in length and thickness to the 

 typical comma-bacilli of other cases. The first variety in 

 very large numbers, forming continuous masses. Numerous 

 small semicircular commas, corresponding in size to the 

 small variety of the above commas. 



All these organisms were numerous in the free flakes, as 

 well as in those still on the mucous membrane. 



Other cases, which were typical and rapidly fatal, but in 

 which the ileum did not contain the clear watery fluid with 

 mucus- flakes, are not included here. 



Drs. Weisser and Frank ascribe to me in the Archiv. f. 

 Hygiene iii. 1. p. 380 the assertion: "That in very rapid 

 cholera cases the comma-bacilli are missed." That this is 

 not my assertion I have stated above ; where these gentlemen 

 got hold of it I cannot say, unless, like Koch, they got their 

 information about my statements at second hand. Examin- 

 ing the tables published by Weisser and Frank (I.e. pp. 382- 

 389) in which they give an account of the examination of 

 cover-glass specimens sent them by Dr. Dissent of Calcutta, 

 and made of the contents of the intestine in numerous cases 

 dead of typical cholera it will be seen that out of thirty- 

 one cases dead within twenty-four hours (seven to twenty- 

 four hours), in fourteen the comma-bacilli were scarce 



