MICEOCOCCUS GONORRHCEJE. 533 



not present. Heiman was able to confirm the correct- 

 ness of the above allusion, for on one occasion, in 

 examining threads, when he could not demonstrate the 

 gonococcus in cover-glass preparations, he succeeded in 

 growing it on chest-serum-agar plates, while in all 

 instances in which he found the gonococcus in threads 

 in cover-glass preparations he invariably succeeded in 

 growing it on chest-serum-agar plates. The culture 

 methods, of course, presuppose that one has the facili- 

 ties and knowledge to carry them out successfully, other- 

 wise the microscopical methods are to be used alone. 



In acute cases the specimen for examination may be 

 collected, when the patient is before one, by passing a 

 sterilized platinum wire loop as far up into the urethra 

 as possible and withdrawing some of the secretion. 

 This is a far less satisfactory method than that sug- 

 gested by Heiman, by " centrifuging," except when 

 the pus is abundant. 



The Frequency with which Gonococci are Found in 

 Smears or Cultures in Cases of Chronic Urethritis. 

 Heiman found in 61 cases 14 by cultures and 13 by 

 smears. The following results were obtained by other 

 observers by cover-glass preparations : Goll, accord- 

 ing to his elaborate article, examined 1046 cases of 

 chronic urethritis varying in duration between four 

 weeks to six years or more, finding gonococci in 178 

 cases, the remainder giving negative results. Neisser, 

 out of 143 cases varying in duration between two 

 months and eight years, found gonococci in 80 cases. 

 Weinrich, out of 25 similar cases, obtained 2 positive 

 results. E. Noeggerath, in 1887, deplored the fact 

 that on account of the lack of culture media for 

 the gonococcus we cannot always demonstrate them. 



