SARCINA TETRAGENA. 337 



eludes that the serum does not possess any bactericidal 

 power, but that it acts through its antitoxic properties. 



Panichi employed his serum in the treatment of seven 

 cases of pneumonia. The serum was injected intrave- 

 nously, and was followed by lysis that is, there was a 

 reduction of the temperature, of the pulse, and of the 

 respiration, as well as improvement in the general ap- 

 pearance of the patient. The bright red exudate be- 

 came rusty and, later, catarrhal in character. Diminished 

 crepitation was noticed when a sufficient dose had been 

 reached (15 to 30 c.c.). Of the seven cases, six expe- 

 rienced a helpful action. In one the result was negative. 

 In the latter the treatment was undertaken at five- 

 sevenths of the total duration of the disease. The treat- 

 ment of human beings corresponded entirely with the 

 results of the experimental study of the serum in ani- 

 mals, in the quantity of serum required for treatment, as 

 well as in the time period within which the injection was 

 of value. 



INFECTION WITH SARCINA TETRAGENA (GAFFKY), 

 MIGULA, 1900. 



Synonym : M icrococcus tetragenus, Gaffky, 1883. 



Should the death of the animal not occur within the 

 first twenty-eight to thirty hours after inoculation, but 

 be postponed until between the fourth and eighth day, it 

 may result from the invasion of the tissues by the organ- 

 ism now to be described, viz., sarcina tetragena. 



This organism was discovered by Gaffky, and was 



subsequently described by Koch in the account of his 



experiments upon tuberculosis. It is often present in 



the saliva of healthy individuals and is commonly 



22 



