CHAPTER XVI. 



Suppuration The staphylococcus pyogeues aureus Staphylococcus pyo- 

 genes albus and citreus Streptococcus pyogenes Bacillus pyocyanus Gen- 

 eral remarks. 



PREPARE from the pus of an acute abscess or boil, 

 that has been opened under antiseptic precautions, a set 

 of plates of agar-agar. Care must be taken that none 

 of the antiseptic fluid gains access to the culture tubes, 

 otherwise its antiseptic effect may be seen and the de- 

 velopment of the organisms interfered with. It is best, 

 therefore, to take up a drop of the pus upon the plati- 

 num-wire loop after it has been flowing for a few 

 seconds; even then it must be taken from the mouth 

 of the wound and before it has run over the surface of 

 the skin. At the same time prepare two or three cover- 

 slips from the pus. 



Microscopic examination of these slips will reveal the 

 presence of a large number of pus-cells, both multi-nu- 

 cleated and with horseshoe- shaped nuclei, some threads 

 of disintegrated and necrotic connective tissue, and ly- 

 ing here and there throughout the preparation, small 

 round bodies which will sometimes appear singly, some- 

 times in pairs, and frequently will be seen grouped to- 

 gether somewhat like clusters of grapes. (See Fig. 49.) 

 They stain readily and are commonly located in the ma- 

 terial between the pus-cells; very rarely they may be 

 seen in the protoplasmic body of the cell. (Compare the 

 preparation with a similar one made from the pus of 



