308 CLINICAL BACTERIOLOGY. 



Malignant Edema in Human Beings. Malignant 

 edema occurs at present but seldom in human pathology. In 

 preantiseptic times it was more common and more alarming. 

 The so-called septicemie gangreneuse and the gangrene 

 gazeuse of the French were in part manifestations of the ac- 

 tivity of the vibrio septicus, and identical with our malig- 

 nant edema. In order that the bacillus of malignant edema 

 may exhibit its activity, the wounds through which infection 

 takes place must be deep, because the strictly anaerobic 

 parasite has no opportunity for development upon the sur- 

 face. The bacillus may, further, be associated in mixed infec- 

 tion with other microorganisms, which consume the oxygen 

 available, and thus artificially produce an atmosphere free 

 from this gas. It may be mentioned that in two patients 

 suffering from typhoid fever malignant edema has been ob- 

 served after subcutaneous injection of tincture of musk. 



The portal of infection is always constituted by a breach 

 in continuity of the external integument. 



Bacteriologic Diagnosis. Plates are made from the 

 putrid exudate in an atmosphere of hydrogen, and at the 

 same time guinea-pigs are inoculated subcutaneously. 



Immunity. Malignant edema is one of those bacterial 

 diseases in which artificial immunization through metabolic 

 products was first effected. Chamberland and Roux im- 

 munized guinea-pigs by means of intraperitoneal injections 

 of bouillon-cultures sterilized by exposure for ten minutes 

 in the autoclave at a temperature of between 105 C. 

 (221 F.) and 1 10 C. (230 F.). Immunity to malignant 

 edema is also established without difficulty in animals by all 

 other methods. 



PROTEUS-INFECTIONS. 



Morphology of the Proteus. The proteus-bacteria, dis- 

 covered by Hauser in 1885, are small, motile rods of ex- 

 ceeding activity and variable size. 



The proteus-bacteria are usually arranged in pairs, and not 

 rarely also in longer filaments. In addition to these funda- 

 mental forms coccus-like bodies and long, winding threads (spir- 

 ulins) also are encountered. The proteus is characterized by 

 the possession of an unusually large number of flagella surround- 

 ing the body of the cell. It is stained readily with carbolfuch- 

 sin, and less well with watery solutions of aniline dyes. It does 



