34 



Pfeiffer's bacillus was not found in 11 patients with chronic 

 bronchitis, in 15 tuberculous nor 100 healthy soldiers in a bar- 

 racks where some cases of influenza subsequently appeared. 



NEUFELD & PAPAMARKU (1—2) (Inst. f. Infekt.-Krankheiten, Ber- 

 lin), who however only began their work towards the end of the 

 summer epidemic, found Pfeiffer's bacillus in a number of cases 

 both in influenza and in tuberculosis patients. In contrast to this 

 they state that „wahrend der vorhergehenden Jahre im Untersu- 

 chungsamte des Instituts, trotzdem seit 1912 eigens derauf geachtct 

 wurde, niemals Influenzabazillen, insbesondere auch nicht bei Tu 

 berkulosen, gesehen wurden". 



Wilson reports similar experience; for many years he used 

 blood agar in the examination of sputum but only found Pfeiffer's 

 bacillus during the pandemic. 



These 9 contributions give an idea not only of the occur- 

 rence of Pfeiffer's bacillus in the first stage of the pandemic, 

 to some extent even on its first appearance in the locality, but 

 also of its increasing frequency in the beginning of the pande- 

 mic and during its further course. As regards the latter point 

 most reliance naturally must be placed on those cases where 

 the same investigator found Pfeiffer's bacillus at different limes 

 in a markedly different degree of distribution. 



Of other authors who found an increasing frequency of 

 occurrence during the pandemic, may be cited: 



Sobernheim & Novakovic (Bern), who only found Pfeiffer's 

 bacillus in a small number of cases in sputum of post mortem 

 material etc. during the summer epidemic of 1918. In many cases 

 however it was demonstrated microscopically but they did not succeed 

 in cultivating it. In the renewed outburst of influenza in Octo- 

 ber „the bacteriological results were completely changed in favour 

 of Pfeiffer's bacillus." Even in the first examinations of sputum 

 and post mortem material it was regularly found, and as the inve- 

 stigation continued it was cultivated in 18 out of 23 cases. At I he 

 same time the other bacteria changed, that is to say Pneumo- 

 coccus which was previously plentiful in the sputum, had now 

 almost disappeared. It is stated that the methods employed were 

 the same in both epidemics. 



Frankel (Heidelberg) could not demonstrate Pfeiffer's bacillus 

 in the summer epidemic but found it in the autumn epidemic in 

 sputum in 18 out of 70 patients and in 8 out of 11 autopsies. 



The relation between the course of the pandemic and the 

 distribution of Pfeiffer's bacillus has been further investigated 

 by the following: 



