73 



water-agar plate and spread in a thin layer with the rod. 

 The bent portion of a glass rod was now rubbed several times 

 over the agar plate and then once on the surface of the nutri- 

 tive medium 1 . 



Out of the inoculations of the first week Pfeiffer's bacillus 

 was found in 5 persons, and later in a further 4. In the same 

 month cultivations from 1 23 sputa were made, also principally 

 from uncomplicated influenza, it was found in 4 of these 



In these and other examinations of influenza patients the 

 sputa from the hospitals (Garrison-Hospital, Oresundshospital, 

 Blegdams-hospital) were collected directly in sterile Petri plates 

 and then conveyed to the Serum Institute where a fragment 

 of purulent or muco-purulent sputum* was transferred to the 

 nutritive medium' and afterwards spread over the surface with 

 a bent glass rod. 



Microscopic examination has also been made of 

 rather more than 100 sputa, partly from 1 uncomplicated cases, 

 fresh and old, and partly from cases with pneumonia. Only 

 in a few instances and in small numbers were bacteria found 

 which resembled Pfeiffer's bacillus. 



(b). Autumn and winter epidemic 191 8—1 9. 



In October 1918 cultivations were made from 26 samples 

 of sputum taken from 1 influenza patients with pneumonia. 

 Pfeiffer's bacillus was found in 6 of these. 



In the same month cultivations were made from 37 cases 

 of i n f 1 u e n z a 1 pneumonia by lung puncture post mortem. 

 Pfeiffer's bacillus was found 9 times. 17 cases of pneumonia 

 however, where the cultivations were made during the autopsy, 

 gave only one positive result. 



In the period from 12. XI. 1918-25. III. 1919rather 

 more than 200 sputa were examined. In the following ac- 

 count all of those are excluded however, that appeared to 

 consist mainly of mucus from the throat or mouth, or that 

 were more than 24 hours old. There remained 162 sputa 

 from 98 patients. Most of them were muco-purulent, con- 

 sisting of a mass of mucus with streaks of pus or more 

 rarely of more homogeneous, markedly purulent pieces. Only 

 a few sputa had a pronounced „pneumonic" appearence (Pfeif- 

 fer's bacillus was not found in these). 



