6G4 BACTERIA OF THE SURFACE OF THE BODY 



Bacillus typhi abdominalis, Spirillum cholerse Asiatics. When to 

 ten cubic centimetres of saliva, sterilized by filtration through porce- 

 lain, the above-mentioned pathogenic bacteria were added in small 

 numbers by means of a platinum needle carried over from a pure 

 culture, no development occurred, and at the end of twenty-four 

 hours the bacteria introduced were incapable of growth in a suitable 

 medium. But when this amount of filtered saliva was inoculated 

 with a large platinum loop an ose a certain number of the bacteria 

 survived, and at the end of three or four days an abundant develop- 

 opinent occurred. At first, however, the number of living cells was 

 considerably diminished. In saliva to which one ose of a culture of 

 Staphylococcus aureus was added thirteen thousand eight hundred 

 and forty colonies developed in a plate made immediately after inocu- 

 lation, while a plate made at the end of twenty-four hours contained 

 but one hundred and thirty-two colonies, and one at the end of forty- 

 eight hours had but eight colonies. Subsequently multiplication 

 occurred, and a plate made on the ninth day after inoculation con- 

 tained so many colonies that they could not be counted. 



The diphtheria bacillus was not destroyed in filtered saliva, but 

 did not multiply in it. On the other hand, it proved to be a very 

 favorable medium for the development of Micrococcus pneumonise 

 crouposa3. 



Mucus from the surface of the meatus urinarius of man and 

 woman, or from the vagina, will always be found to contain various 

 bacteria ; but the bladder, the uterus, and Fallopian tubes in healthy 

 individuals are free from microorganisms. 



Winter has isolated twenty-seven different species from vaginal 

 and cervical mucus, and reports that he found Staphylococcus pyo- 

 genes albus in one-half of the cases examined. A streptococcus was 

 also encountered which resembled Streptococcus pyogenes, although 

 not positively identified with it. Samschin, on the other hand, failed 

 to obtain the pus cocci in vaginal mucus from healthy women. 



Donderlein, Von Ott, and others have carefully examined the 

 lochial discharge with reference to the presence of bacteria. The 

 first-named author found that in healthy women the lochial discharge 

 obtained from the uterus was free from germs, but when collected 

 from the vagina various microorganisms were obtained. In one case 

 in which some fever existed Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus was 

 found in the vagina, while the discharge from the uterus was free 

 from germs. In five cases of puerperal fever Streptococcus pyogenes 

 was obtained in the lochial discharge from the uterus. The results 

 of Von Ott correspond with those of Donderlein. Czerniewski, in 

 the lochia of fifty-seven healthy women, found the Streptococcus 

 pyogenes but once, while in the lochial discharge of fatal cases of 

 puerperal fever it was always present. 



