BACTERIA IN CROUPOUS PNEUMONIA. 321 



in the body of an immune animal, as a result of protective inocula- 

 tions, upon which the immunity of these animals depends, is also a 

 proteid, which they call anti-pneumotoxin. This they isolated from 

 the blood serum of immune animals. By experiment they were able 

 to demonstrate that the blood serum containing this protective pro- 

 teid, when injected into other animals, rendered them immune ; and 

 also that it arrested the progress of the infectious malady induced by 

 inoculating susceptible animals with virulent cultures of the micro- 

 coccus. When injected into the circulation of an infected animal 

 its curative action was manifested by a considerable reduction of 

 the body temperature. 



While the micrococcus of pneumonia is not usually seen in the 

 blood in cases of pneumonia it is probably present in small numbers, 

 and secondary infection of the kidneys appears to be a common occur- 

 rence. Thus Frankel and Reiche (1894) report that in twenty-two 

 cases out of twenty-four in which they had an opportunity to exam- 

 ine the kidneys, this micrococcus was present. It was found espe- 

 cially in the larger branches of the veins and arteries, but also in the 

 intertubular vessels and the glomeruli. The kidneys gave evidence 

 of degenerative changes, and it is probable that the " pneumococcus " 

 would have been found in the urine of some of these cases if a bac- 

 teriological examination had been made during life. 



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