BACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS 449 



bacillus tuberculosis. In secretions of leprous nodules, 

 stained by the ordinary Koch-Ehrlich process, the bacilli, 

 crowded together in the large so-called "lepra cells/ 1 are 

 always to be seen in great abundance. Numerous efforts 

 to cultivate bacillus leprse from the diseased tissues and to 

 reproduce the disease f by inoculation have led to little more 

 than a mass of confusing results. It is possible that a recent 

 observation of Johnston 1 may assist in clearing away some 

 at least of the confusion. Johnston believes the acid-proof, 

 so-called bacilli, seen in the lepra cells to be developmental 

 phases of a streptothrix which is itself not acid proof. His 

 opinion appears to be justified by the results of carefully 

 made culture and inoculation studies. 2 



BACTERIUM SMEGMATTS. In 1885 Alvarez and Tavel 

 discovered in the fatty secretions about the genitalia an 

 organism that suggested the bacterium of tuberculosis. 

 Their observation has been abundantly confirmed by others, 

 and the organism to which they directed attention is now 

 regarded as pretty commonly present in the smegma. It 

 is known, therefore, as the smegma bacterium (bacterium 

 smegmatis). In this secretion it is found in clumps located 

 upon or within epithelial cells. It stains by the method 

 used in staining bacterium tuberculosis. It has no patho- 

 genic power. It is said to have been artificially cultivated 

 upon coagulated hydrocele fluid and in milk. 



THE ACID-PROOF BACTERIA. In addition to the species 

 mentioned, quite a group of other "acid-proof" bacteria, 

 as they are called, have been described by different inves- 

 tigators. They are characterised by staining, as does bac- 



1 Philippine Journal of Science, June, 1914, vol. ix, No. 3, Section B, 

 Tropical Medicine, p. 227. 



2 For a general discussion on this ubject, together with literary references 

 see Wolbach and Honeij, Journal of Medical Research, 1914, xxix, 367. 



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