538 BACTERIOLOGY. 



Our knowledge of the pathogenic importance of the 

 bacillus pyocyaneus in human diseases has been much 

 increased by recent investigations. Thus cases have 

 been reported in which this bacillus has been obtained 

 in pure culture from pus derived from the tympanic 

 cavity in disease of the middle ear, from cases of oph- 

 thalmia and bronchopneumonia. Kruse and Pasquale 

 have found the same micro-organism in three cases of 

 idiopathic abscess of the liver, in two of them in immense 

 numbers and in pure culture. Ernst and Schiirmayer 

 report the presence of the bacillus pyocyaneus in serous 

 inflammation of the pericardial sac and of the knee- 

 joint. Ehlers gives the history of a disease in two 

 sisters who were attacked simultaneously with fever, 

 albuminuria, and paralysis. It was thought that they 

 would turn out to be typhoid fever or meningitis, but 

 on the twelfth day there was an eruption of blisters, 

 from the contents of which the bacillus pyocyaneus was 

 isolated. Jadkewitsch reports the case of a patient 

 suffering from eczema of the lower extremities, in 

 whom three times during a period of ten years there 

 was eruption of boils containing blue pus, with accom- 

 panying symptoms of poisoning, emaciation, prostra- 

 tion, diarrhoea, and paresis. Krambals refers to seven 

 cases in which a general pyocyaneous infection occurred, 

 and adds an eighth from his own experience. In this 

 the bacillus pyocyaneus was obtained post-mortem from 

 green pus in the pleural cavity, from serum in the peri- 

 cardial sac, and from the spleen in pure culture. 

 Schimmelbush states that a physician injected 0.5 c.c. 

 of sterilized (by heat) culture into his forearm. As a 

 result of this injection, after a few hours he had a 

 slight chill, followed by fever, which at the end of 



