ASIATIC CHOLERA. 107 



HiKiM'K states tliiit the severe symptoms of cholera c:m 

 IM- explained only on tin- supposition tliat the bacilli produce 

 a chemical poison, and that this poison resembles mnscarine 

 in its action. 



VILLIEHS isolateil by the STAS-OTTO method from two 

 l>odies dead from cholera, a poisonous base which was liquid, 

 pungent to the taste, and presetted the odor of hawthorn. 

 It \\;is strongly alkaline, and ^ave precipitates with the 

 general alkaloidal reagents. From one to two milligrammes 

 of this substance, injected into lro*s, caused decreased 

 activity of the heart, violent trembling, and death. The 

 heart was found in diastole, and full of blood, and the 

 brain slightly congested. However, the presence of this 

 substance in the bodies of persons who have died of cholera 

 does not prove that its production is due to the cholera 

 bacillus. 



P0UCHET extracted from cholera stools, with chloroform, 

 an oily base l>elonrin<r to the pyridine series. It readily 

 reduces ferric as well MS ;old and platinum salts, and forms 

 an easily decomposable hydroehlonde. It is a violent poison, 

 irritating the stomach, ami retarding the action of the he-art. 

 Subsequently, he obtained an apparently identical substance 

 from cultures of Kuril's comma bacillus. 



In 1887, BKIKCKK made a report of his studies on the 

 chemistry of the cholera bacillus: He used pure cultures on 

 beef-broth (Mcisehbrei), which was rendered! alkaline by the 

 addition of a .'} per cent, soda solution. These were kept 

 at from .'57" to .'58. A fter twenty-four hours, cadaverine 

 was found to IM- present. Older cultures furnished very 

 small quantities of putreseine, but cultures on blo<xl-serum 

 yielded much larger amounts of this base. While cada- 

 verine and putrcs"ine cannot be said to be poisonous, they 

 do cause necrosis of tissue into which they are injected, and 

 their formation by the cholera bacillus may account for the 

 necrotic tissue in the intestine in the disease. The lecithin 

 of the beef-broth was slowlv acted UJMHI by the therms, but 

 with aii'c the amount of choline increased, reachinj; its 

 maximum durinr the Jburth week. 



<'iv:itinr prove* I still more resistant to the action of the 



