Bacillus Faecalis Alkaligenes 529 



1878 and 1899, furnishing a total of 1,136,096 cases, with 

 275*308 deaths (a total mortality for the entire period of 

 24.23 per cent.).* 



The "epidemic dysentery" is not the same affection as 

 "amebic dysentery," the chief points of dissimilarity being 

 that the extensive undermined ulcerations, described by 

 Councilman and Lafleur, as so characteristic of the latter, 

 are rarely observed. The follicular, pustule-like ulcer is 

 very uncommon ; perforation is unusual, the muscular coat 

 offering strong resistance to the disease process. Abscess 

 of the liver is also rare in epidemic, though common in 

 amebic dysentery. 



PSEUDO-DYSENTERY BACILLUS. 



Kruse f has observed in dysenteric diseases of the insane 

 a new (?) bacillus which he has called the pseudo-dysentery 

 bacillus. The morphologic and cultural differences be- 

 tween it and B. dysenteriae are slight, but the agglutina- 

 tion reactions are quite different and form the ground for 

 separation. 



BACILLUS F^CALIS ALKALIGENES (PETRUSCHKY). 



General Characteristics. A motile, flagellated, non-sporogenous, 

 non-liquefying, non-chromogenic, non-aerogenic, aerobic and option- 

 ally anaerobic, non-pathogenic bacillus of the intestine, staining by 

 ordinary methods, but not by Gram's method. 



This bacillus has occasionally been isolated by Pe- 

 truschky J and others from feces. It closely resembles 

 the typhoid bacillus, being short, stout, with round ends, 

 forming no spores, staining with the usual dyes, but not by 

 Gram's method, being actively motile, and having numerous 

 flagella. It does not liquefy gelatin, does not coagulate 

 milk, produce gas, or form indol. Its pathogenic powers 

 are similar to those of the typhoid bacillus. 



It grows more luxuriantly than the typhoid bacillus upon 

 potato, producing a brown color, and generates a strong 

 alkali when grown in litmus-whey. Its cultures are not 

 agglutinated by the typhoid serums. 



* "Public Health Reports," Jan. 5, 1900, vol. xv, No. 1. 

 t " Deutsche med. Wochenschrift," 1901, Nos. 23 and 24. 

 J "Centralbl. f. Bakt. u. Parasitenk.," xix, 187. 



34 



