388 PA THOGENIC BA CTERIA. 



Wright and Semple assert that dead cultures of the 

 typhoid bacillus may be used for the test, as bacilli killed 

 by a temperature of 60 C. agglutinate perfectly. They 

 have the advantage of being easily kept. 



Rumpf, 1 and Kraus and Buswell 2 report a number of 

 cases of typhoid which were favorably influenced by the 

 introduction hypodermically of small quantities of steril- 

 ized cultures of Bacillus pyocyaneus. These experiments 

 are still too new to deserve extended mention. 



Following the lines of experimentation suggested by 

 Haffkine's researches upon preventive vaccination against 

 cholera Asiatica, Pfeiffer and Kolle, and Wright and Sem- 

 ple have used the subcutaneous injection of sterilized cul- 

 tures as a prophylactic measure. One c.cm. of a bouillon 

 culture sterilized by heat is thought to be sufficient. 

 Wright and Semple report 18 cases in which it was used, 

 and by experiment showed the blood to be changed simi- 

 larly to that of typhoid patients and convalescents. This 

 change consisted in the destruction of motility and agglu- 

 tination of the bacilli, as seen in Widal's reaction. It is 

 hoped that we can gauge the duration of the immunity 

 thus acquired by the frequent use of Widal's test. 



One of the most important and practical points for the 

 physician to grasp in relation to the subject of typhoid 

 fever is the highly virulent character of the discharges 

 from the bowels. In every case the greatest care should 

 be taken for a proper disinfection of the feces, a rigid 

 attention to all the details of cleanliness in the sick- 

 room, and the careful sterilization of all articles which 

 are soiled by the patient. If country practitioners were 

 as careful in this particular as they should be, the disease 

 would be much less frequent in regions remote from the 

 filth and squalor of large cities with their unmanageable 

 slums, and the distribution of the bacilli to villages and 

 towns, by watercourses polluted in their infancy, might 

 be checked. 



1 Deutsche med. IVochenschrift, 1893, No. 41. 



2 Wien. klin. It'ochenschrift, July 12, 1894. 



