MALIGNANT EDEMA. 305 



bacilli also are destroyed. In suspicious cases, however, 

 agar-plates should always be made with the pus from the 

 ulcers in question. In addition male guinea-pigs should 

 receive intraperitoneal injections of the suspected secretion. 

 If the disease be glanders, swelling of the testicles takes 

 place in the course of two or three days. This is absolutely 

 characteristic, and is subsequently followed by suppuration 

 of the organs (Straus). The injection must always be made 

 in the median line, as otherwise there is danger of injuring 

 the seminal vesicles, and as by direct injection into these 

 structures other microorganisms also may give rise to 

 swelling and suppuration of the testicles. . 



Mallein. In exactly the same manner as tuberculin is 

 prepared, von Preusse and Kalning obtained from cultures 

 of glanders-bacilli a lymph mallein representing a proteid 

 substance of the glanders-bacilli. Mallein is employed in 

 veterinary medicine for diagnostic purposes. Horses suf- 

 fering from glanders react to injection of the lymph with 

 fever. 



Prophylaxis. The most efficient prophylaxis against 

 glanders consists in the destruction of animals suffering 

 from the disease, and the incineration of their carcases. 

 The remaining horses in a stable in which the disease has 

 appeared must be subjected to rigid quarantine, and the 

 attendants must have their attention called to the danger 

 of infection and be enjoined to careful disinfection. 



MALIGNANT EDEMA. 



The exciting agent of malignant edema, which was de- 

 scribed in 1 88 1 by Koch, is identical with the vibrion sep- 

 tique of Pasteur. 



The bacillus of malignant edema (vibrio septicus) is a 

 slender bacillus about as long as the anthrax-bacillus, but some- 

 what narrower (from 0.8. to i /jt), with rounded extremities. It 

 possesses spontaneous motility, which is due to from three to 

 twelve lateral flagella. The vibrio septicus has a tendency to 

 form long filaments, both in culture and also in contradis- 

 tinction from the anthrax-bacillus in still greater degree in 

 the living body. The chains not rarely present pretty, arch- 

 like curves. The temperature-optimum is 37 C. (98.6 F.), 

 although the bacillus will grow at room-temperature. Above 



