136 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



in my opinion, is not the common source of infection, but that 

 intestines and abdominal organs are usually infected secondarily 

 through the breaking down of tubercular deposits in lungs find- 

 ing their way into bronchial tubes, finally reaching the throat, 

 the animal swallowing secretion containing the bacilli in great 

 numbers, some of which would doubtless escape the action of 

 the gastric juices, pass on to the intestines, and if in sufficient 

 number produce tubercular enteritis, or they might pass to 

 mesenteric glands without producing any lesions whatever in 

 the intestines. 



Experimental evidence apparently shows that a relatively large 

 number of bacilli are necessary to experimentally infect healthy 

 animals by ingestion. Probably if the mucous membrane be 

 not intact a smaller number of the bacilli would suffice. 



The rarity or total absence of tubercular lesions in the stomach 

 would indicate that the gastric juices possess power to prevent 

 the growth of the bacilli. 



Specimen smears were taken from oesophagus at the middle 

 and lower third. Although I have made numerous smears I have 

 in only a few instances found the bacilli to be in great numbers, 

 and in a large percentage of cases none were present. 



The method used in staining was that of Gabbets. After 

 spreading the material in the finest possible film upon the glass 

 slide a fluid composed of lOO grammes of a 5 per cent, aqueous 

 solution of carbolic acid, and 10 grammes of absolute alcohol in 

 which I gramme of carbo-fuchsin had been dissolved; a few 

 drops of this solution was poured over the film side of slide and 

 heated for two minutes, or until steam arose from the stain. It 

 was then placed for about one minute in a mixture of 100 

 grammes of a 25 per cent, solution of sulphuric acid in which 

 2 grammes of methylene blue had been dissolved. It was next 

 rinsed in alcohol and mounted in Canada balsam, microscopic 

 examination with 1-12 oil emersion lens used. 



By this convenient method the bacilli appear red or pink, and 

 the surrounding tissue blue or greenish in color. 



The fact that we are not at the present time seriously affected 

 with tuberculosis is no reason why we should not take every 

 possible precaution to prevent and to repress its further advance. 



