422 SPIRILLUM CHOLERA ASIATICS. 



bacilli, or the comma bacilli cause the cholera process. 

 On the first assumption there are again two explana- 

 tions of the appearance of the comma bacilli : either 

 these organisms multiply to a great extent as the re- 

 sult of the cholera process from a few comma bacilli 

 Cholera can- constantly present in the normal intestine ; against this, 

 oatuKofthe however, we have the constant negative results of 

 appearance of numerous investigations of normal intestinal contents, 



tne comma m 



bacilli. along with the other necessary assumption that if this 



view is correct the comma bacilli must be distributed in 

 a very remarkable manner, and must be constantly pre- 

 sent in the normal intestine of Indians and Egyptians, 

 as well as in that of Europeans ; and further, that as 

 the result of any disease we have never as yet observed 

 a similar constant and exclusive development of a de- 

 finite form of bacteria under the favouring influence 

 of the disease. It is evidently quite erroneous to bring 

 forward as an analogous case the constant presence of 

 oidium lactis in sour milk,* in which from the con- 

 stancy of its presence (though as a matter of fact it is 

 not constantly present) one might come to an erroneous 

 conclusion as to the etiological r6le of the oidium, for in 

 this example the second condition necessary to prove an 

 etiological connection between the comma bacilli and 

 the cholera process is absent, namely, the exclusive 

 limitation of the occurrence of these organisms to cases 

 of cholera ; on the contrary, in the case of oidium lactis 

 we have to do with an organism which is extremely 

 widely distributed everywhere, and which can be demon- 

 strated in other places than in sour milk, and without 

 any production of acid, and hence it is very easy to see 

 that it does not stand in any etiological relation to the 

 formation of acid. There is exactly the same objection 

 to the other organisms, such as the aspergilli, which 

 have likewise been brought forward by Buchner as 

 evidence against the etiological significance of the 

 comma bacilli. On the other hand, we do not know a 

 single example in the whole range of mycology where the 

 constant and exclusive occurrence of a definite species 



* Buchner, Miinchner arztl. Int. BL, 1885, IS T r. 50. 



