STUDY OF ANTISTREPTOCOCCIC SERUM. Ill 



numerous, that is, in 4 or 5 hours or even less after the inoculation 

 of 0.1 of a cubic centimeter, the blood is invaded. A culture 

 taken at this time from the heart's blood grows as luxuriantly as 

 from the peritoneum. Three hours before death the bacteria in the 

 heart's blood are still rather difficult to find in stained preparations, 

 but an hour later they are very numerous there and their numbers 

 increase rapidly from this time on. As a general rule a normal 

 rabbit injected with streptococci, whether intraperitoneally or else- 

 where, gives an abundant culture from the heart's blood at death. 

 An examination of the blood shows evident changes in the red 

 blood cells. They are found to have almost entirely disappeared. 

 When a rabbit is autopsied immediately after death, the heart 

 contains large red clots and serum filled with diffused hemoglobin. 

 In trying to express red blood cells from this clot into the serum 

 only debris are obtained, which, when examined after staining with 

 eosin, have no distinct cellular outlines. A few leucocytes, more or 

 less altered, and also endothelial cells are found. 



These grave alterations, which are so incompatible with life, 

 appear late in the disease and only in the agonal period. They are 

 not to be found when, for one reason or another, the animal dies 

 with few streptococci in the blood. 



When these alterations do occur a reddish exudate similar to 

 that present in the peritoneum at the time of death is also found in 

 the pericardium and the pleura. These late changes in the peritoneal 

 exudate (the appearance of scattered red blood cells and diffused 

 hemoglobin) are correlative with changes in the blood and appear 

 only when such changes are present. 



Animals given subcutaneous injections of streptococci die with 

 the same lesions and always rapidly. 



If streptococci are injected into the ear vein of the rabbit, they 

 grow in the blood without any resistance. For example, if a drop 

 of blood is taken immediately after injecting 0.1 of a cubic centi- 

 meter and inoculated on agar, only a few colonies are found; 

 3 hours after injection numerous colonies are found on inoculating 

 the same amount of blood. After 7 hours the blood gives confluent 

 colonies of streptococci on agar. It is evident that in the blood, 

 as in the peritoneal exudate, there is no hindrance to the growth of 

 the inoculated micro-organisms. 



