MALIGNANT (EDEMA. 369 



suitable animals. Inoculation with the material from a 

 wound should be made subcutaneously. A loopful of the 

 discharge introduced at the root of the tail in a mouse will 

 soon give rise to the characteristic symptoms, if tetanus 

 bacilli are present. 



MALIGNANT CEDEMA (Septicemie de Pasteur}. 



The organism now usually known as the bacillus of 

 malignant oedema is the same as that first discovered 

 by Pasteur and named vibrion septique. He described 

 its characters, distinguishing it from the anthrax bacillus 

 which it somewhat resembles morphologically, and also the 

 lesions produced by it. He found that it grew only in 

 anaerobic conditions, but was able to cultivate it merely in 

 an impure state. It was more fully studied by Koch, who 

 called it the bacillus of malignant oedema, and pointed out 

 that the disease produced by it is not really of the nature 

 of a septicaemia, as immediately after death the blood is 

 practically free from the bacilli. 



In the human subject " malignant oedema " occurs as a 

 spreading inflammatory oedema attended with emphysema, 

 and ultimately followed by gangrene of the skin and sub- 

 jacent parts. In many cases of this nature the bacillus of 

 malignant oedema is present, associated with other orgrnisms 

 which aid its spread, but it is to be noted that a spreading 

 gangrenous emphysema may be produced by other orga lisms 

 than the bacillus of malignant oedema. 



This bacillus has a very widespread distribution in 

 nature, being present in garden soil, dung, and various 

 putrefying animal fluids ; and it is by contamination of 

 lacerated wounds by such substances that the disease is 

 usually set up in the human subject. Malignant oedema 

 can be readily produced by inoculating susceptible animals, 

 such as guinea-pigs, with garden soil. The bacillus is also 

 often present in the intestine of man and animals, and has 

 been described as being present in some gangrenous 

 24 



