462 PATHOGENIC BACTERIA. 



changes to the naked eye, are subjected to a microscopic 

 examination, the appropriate staining methods bring out 

 a most remarkable and beautiful change. The capil- 

 lary system is almost universally occupied by bacilli, 

 which extend throughout its meshworks in long threads. 

 Most beautiful bundles of these bacillary threads can, at 

 times, be found in the glomeruli of the kidney and in 

 the minute capillaries of the intestinal villi. In the 

 larger vessels, where the blood-stream is rapid, the bac- 

 teria are relatively few, so that the burden of bacillary 

 obstruction is borne by the minute vessels. The con- 

 dition is thus one of pure septicemia, and bacilli can be 

 secured in pure cultures from the blood and tissues. 



Death from anthrax seems to depend essentially upon 

 the obstruction to the circulation caused by the multi- 

 tudes of bacilli in the capillaries, and upon the appro- 

 priation of the oxygen by the bacilli, leaving the tissues 

 to be poisoned by the carbon dioxid. 



It is very questionable whether the anthrax bacillus 

 produces a toxic substance or not. Hoffa l isolated a basic 

 substance from anthrax cultures and called it anthracin. 

 Haukin and Westbrook 2 found an albumose fatal in laro-e 

 doses, and immunizing in small ones. Brieger and 

 Frankel 3 isolated a toxalbumin from the tissues of 

 animals dead of anthrax ; Martin 4 separated protalbu- 

 mose, deuteroalbumose, peptone, an alkaloid, leucin, and 

 tyrosin. The albumoses were not very poisonous, but 

 the alkaloid was capable of producing death after the 

 development of somnolence. The animals were edema- 

 tous. Marmier 5 thought he had isolated a toxin of non- 

 albuminous nature and immunizing power. The most 

 recent thorough work upon the subject is that of Con- 

 radi, 6 who in an elaborate research failed to find that the 



1 Ueber die Natur. des Milzbrandgifts, Wiesbaden, 1886. 



2 Ann. de T Inst. Past., 1892. No. 9. 

 s Ueber Ptomaine, Berlin, 1885-1886. 



4 Proceedings of the Royal Society, May 22, 1890. 



5 Ann. de I Inst. Past., 1895, p. 533. 



6 Zeitschrift fur Hyg., June 14, 1899. 



