PSEUDOTUBERCULOSIS 49 



on the floor, and the material absorbed by the sponge was injected 

 into guinea-pigs with positive results. 



Fliigge has called attention to the fact that in coughing, sneezing 

 and even in speaking the consumptive may eject an infected spray. 

 Not only is there immediate danger from the inhalation of the spray 

 but subsequent danger from the dried droplets which may fall on the 

 floor or furniture. The house-fly walks in sputum, eats it, and subse- 

 quently may feed on food, or drink or even drown himself in milk. 

 As we have seen, the milk of tuberculous cows is a source of danger, 

 especially to children. Cream and butter from such milk may contain 

 tubercle bacilli. There is less danger in meat on account of the cook- 

 ing, but meat when made into sausage is eaten raw by some people. 



Tuberculosis is in no proper sense an inherited disease. When 

 the mother suffers from general tuberculosis, the placenta may be 

 involved and the child may be infected in utero. This is congenital, 

 not inherited, tuberculosis, and only a few cases of this are known. 



PSEUDOTUBERCULOSIS 



We are indebted for our knowledge of this disease largely to 

 French investigators who recognized it as early as 1883. It is desig- 

 nated a tuberculosis because in its lesions, the histologic changes 

 closely resemble, though they are not identical with, those seen in 

 true tuberculosis. It is caused by wholly different bacilli, of which 

 there are several varieties, and none of these is acid-fast. They are 

 easily stained, the stains are easily washed out with dilute mineral 

 acids and the bacilli are destroyed by relatively weak disinfectants. 

 Besides, the bacilli do not contain the large amounts of fats and waxes 

 found in true tubercle bacilli. 



The most important manifestation of this disease is in sheep and it 

 is said that 15 per cent, of these animals in Australia and 10 per cent, 

 in Argentina, as they come to the market, are infected. The bacillus 

 which infects sheep is a long (1-3 microns), non-motile, non-liquefying 

 organism which grows easily and abundantly on gelatin, coagulated 

 serum and agar, and in bouillon. Unlike the tubercle bacillus, it 

 produces a soluble toxin. An antitoxin has been prepared which pro- 

 tects against the toxin but not against the bacillus, and consequently, 

 while of great scientific interest, is of no practical importance in pro- 



