ACTION ON BACTEKIA, FUNGI AND FEIJ.MENTATION. 2 ±5 



disease an 1 that wliich we should expect from its action on 

 bacteiia, which we suppose to be the cause of it, seems also to 

 be an evidence of the truth of the hypothesis that bacteria are 

 the cause of the disease, and that carbolic acid cures it by 

 killing them. Before we accept this as a fact, however, we 

 should test it by adding to one portion of the blood of a diseased 

 animal, carbolic acid in the same proportion as was likely to 

 be present in the blood of the one cured, and comparing it with 

 another portion to which none had been added, and see whether 

 the amount was sufficient to have any action on the bacteria. 

 If it were not sufficient, sve should have to look for some other 

 action of the acid to explain its effect. 



As cases of malignant pustule or other diseases in which 

 bacteria and vibriones are found in the blood happily do not 

 present themselves every day, Binz produced fever in dogs 

 artificially by injecting infusion of hay or putrid animal matter 

 into their veins, and then tested the action of quinine by inject- 

 ing it either at the same time or shortly afterwards. The 

 quinine diminished the effect of the infusion, but not to the 

 extent wliich he expected ; and this he thinks due to the infu- 

 sion not containing vibriones alone, but gases and other pro- 

 ducts of decomposition, whose action would not be affected by 

 quinine. Whether this be so or not, must be decided by further 

 experiments. He believes also that hay-fever is due to vibri- 

 ones ; and he cured Helmholtz, who had suffered from it for 

 several years, by injecting a solution of quinine into his 

 nostrils. 



Action on Fungi. — When spores of the ordinary penicillium 

 or mould-fungus are thrown into Pasteur's fluid or syrup, they 

 grow and develop new spores. Two portions must be taken, and 

 the drug to be tested added to one and not to the other, and 

 the amount of it necessary to prevent the formation of spores 

 must be noted. If carbolic acid, corrosive sublimate, or very 

 strong solutions of quinine be added to them their growth is 

 prevented. 



Action on Fermentation. — As butyric fermentation depends 

 on the presence of vibriones and alcohohc on the yeast-fungus, 

 we should expect that substances which kill these would 



