220 BACTERIOLOGY. 



been introduced into the peritoneum without the slight- 

 est injury to the animal. On the contrary, if some 

 substance which acts as a direct irritant to the intestines 

 such, for example, as a small bit of potato upon which 

 the organisms are growing is at the same time intro- 

 duced, or the intestines be mechanically injured, so that 

 there is a disturbance in their circulation, then the in- 

 troduction of these organisms is promptly followed by 

 acute and fatal peritonitis. 



On the other hand, the results which follow their 

 introduction into the circulation are practically constant. 

 If one injects into the circulation of the rabbit through 

 one of the veins of the ear, or in any other way, from 

 0.1 to 0.3 c.c. of a bouillon culture or watery suspension 

 of this organism, a fatal pyaemia always follows in from 

 two and one-half to three days. A few hours before 

 death the aniuial is frequently seen to have severe con- 

 vulsions. Now and then excessive secretion of urine is 

 noticed. The animal may appear in moderately good 

 condition until from eight to ten hours before death. 

 At the autopsy a typical picture presents. The vol- 

 untary muscles are seen to be marked here and there 

 by yellow spots, which average the size of a flax-seed, 

 and are of about the same shape. They lie usually with 

 their long axis running longitudinally between the mus- 

 cle fibres. As the abdominal aud thoracic cavities are 

 opened the diaphragm is not rarely seen to be studded by 

 them. Frequently the pericardial sac is distended with 

 a clear gelatinous fluid, and almost constantly the yel- 

 low points are to be seen in the myocardium. The kid- 

 neys are rarely without them ; here they appear on the 

 surface scattered about as single yellow points, or again, 

 are seen as conglomerate masses of small yellow points 



