8 9 



losis may be produced without the bacillus in question." 

 The only proof adduced for this important statement is 

 the experiment with glass, etc., in which the disease oc- 

 curs without any " conscious or intentional " introduction 

 of the bacillus, and the assumption that the organisms 

 were therefore absent ; if, however, the parasites be never- 

 theless present in such cases, this assertion is evidently 

 unwarranted. We are not informed on this point in the 

 paper, although we may infer their presence from the fol- 

 lowing statement (p. n): "Koch has discovered that 

 tubercle-tissue is always infested by bacilli, and this is 

 correct." To secure definite information, I addressed 

 to Dr. Formad some months ago, three several letters 

 enclosing stamps, requesting him to state for incorporation 

 in these lectures, whether he had examined these cases of 

 tuberculosis following wounds, mechanical irritation, etc., 

 to ascertain the presence or absence of the bacilli, and if 

 so, with what result. To these letters I have received no 

 reply. 



As to the association of the bacilli with tuberculosis, 

 Formad's limited observations seem to agree with Koch's 

 statements. 2 



The one novelty which I am charitably disposed to 

 think explains the existence as well as the peculiar char- 

 acter of this paper is a theory that the susceptibility to 

 tuberculosis is inversely proportional to the width of lymph- 

 spaces ; whence (by a process of reasoning peculiar to 

 the author) he makes the deduction that no etiological 

 influence other than inflammation and narrow lymph- 

 spaces is necessary to induce tuberculosis. It is useless 

 to remind Dr. Formad of the induction of tuberculosis in 

 the eye, lung, and intestine, since he ignores pathological 

 work which does not emanate from himself or his pupils. 

 But since by a singular coincidence the rabbit and guinea- 

 pig the animals exhibiting typical narrow lymph-spaces 



1 Koch, by the way, does not make this statement, which is, moreover, not cor- 

 rect, since Koch, Gibbes, Ziehl, Guttmann and others failed to detect the bacilli in a 

 certain number of tubercles. 



a Paradox: "Tubercle tissue is always infested by bacilli," yet "true tuber- 

 culosis may be produced without" them. 



