578 BACTTCRIA OF THE SURFACE OF THE BODY 



survived, and at the end of three or four days an abundant develop- 

 opment occurred. At first, however, the number of living cells was 

 considerably diminished. In saliva to which one ose of a culture of 

 Staphylococcus aureus was added thirteen thousand eight hundred 

 and forty colonies developed in a plate made immediately after inocu- 

 lation, while a plate made at the end of twenty-four hours contained 

 but one hundred and thirty-two colonies, and one at the end of forty- 

 eight hours had but eight colonies. Subsequently multiplication 

 occurred, and a plate made on the ninth day after inoculation con- 

 tained so many colonies that they could not be counted. 



The diphtheria bacillus was not destroyed in filtered saliva, but 

 did not multiply in it. On the other hand, it proved to be a very 

 favorable medium for the development of Micrococcus pneumonise 

 crouposse. . 



Mucus from the surface of the meatus urinarius of man and 

 woman, or from the vagina, will always be found to contain various 

 bacteria ; but the bladder, the uterus, and Fallopian tubes in healthy 

 individuals are free from microorganisms. Winter has isolated 

 twenty-seven different species from vaginal and cervical mucus, and 

 reports that he found Staphylococcus pyogenes albus in one-half of 

 the cases examined. A streptococcus was also encountered which 

 resembled Streptococcus pyogenes, although not positively identified 

 with it. Samschin, on the other hand, failed to obtain the pus cocci 

 in vaginal mucus from healthy women. 



Donderlein, Von Ott, and others have carefully examined the 

 lochial discharge with reference to the presence of bacteria. The 

 first-named author found that in healthy women the lochial discharge 

 obtained from the uterus was free from germs, but when collected 

 from the* vagina various microorganisms were obtained. In one case 

 in which some fever existed Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus was 

 found in the vagina, while the discharge from the uterus was free 

 from germs. In five cases of puerperal fever Streptococcus pyogenes 

 was obtained in the lochial discharge from the uterus. The results 

 of Von Ott correspond with those of Donderlein. Czerniewski, in 

 the lochia of fifty-seven healthy women, found the Streptococcus 

 pyogenes but once, while in the lochial discharge of fatal cases of 

 puerperal fever it was always present. 



Steffeck (1892) has examined the vaginal secretion of twenty-nine 

 pregnant females who had not been subjected to digital examina- 

 tion, and found Staphylococcus pyogenes albus in nine, Staphylo- 

 coccus pyogenes aureus in three, and Streptococcus pyogenes in one. 

 These results indicate that puerperal septicaemia from self-infection 

 may occur in exceptional cases. In seventeen of the twenty-nine 

 cases examined none of these pyogenic micrococci were found. 



