336 BACTERIOLOGY. 



Culture-tubes inoculated from the blood, spleen, liver, 

 kidneys, adrenal bodies, distant lymphatic glands, and 

 serous transudates, generally yield negative results; and 

 negative results are also obtained when these organs are 

 examined microscopically for the bacilli. 



Microscopic examination of the tissues at the seat of 

 inoculation, as well as of the liver, spleen, kidneys, 

 lymphatic glands and elsewhere, reveals the presence 

 of localized foci of cell-death, characterized by a pecu- 

 liar fragmentation of the nuclei of the cells of these 

 parts. 



This destruction of nuclei results in the occurrence 

 of groups of irregularly shaped, deeply staining bodies, 

 having at times the appearance of particles of dust, 

 while again they may be much larger. Some of 

 them are tolerably regular in outline, while others are 

 irregularly crescentic, dumb-bell, flask-shape, whet- 

 stone shape, or bladder-like in form. Occasionally 

 nuclei having the appearance of being pinched or drawn 

 out can be seen. At some points the fragments are 

 grouped into isolated masses, indicating the location of 

 the nucleus from the destruction of which they orig- 

 inated. These particles always stain much more in- 

 tensely than do the normal nuclei of the part.^ 



These peculiar alterations, as Oertel has shown, in 

 their distribution are characteristic of human diph- 

 theria, and the demonstration of similar clianges in 

 animals inoculated with this organism is important 

 additional proof that diphtheria is caused by it. 



1 See "The Histological Changes in Experimental Diphtheria," also " The 

 Histological Lesions produced by the Toxalbumin of Diphtheria," by Welch 

 and Flexncr. The Johns Hopkins Hospital Bulletin, August, 1891, and March, 

 1892. 



