DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF THE GOXOCOCCUS. 239 



Eugen Frankel ("Bericht iiber erne bei Kindern beobachtete 

 Endemic infektioser Kolpitis," Virchow's Archiv, B. xcix. p. 251) 

 claimed to have found a diploeoccus in the secretions of non-gonor- 

 rhoeal colpitis in children which could not be distinguished from 

 the gonococcus of Neisser. He therefore argued that for diagnostic 

 purposes the simple presence of the microbe could not be relied 

 upon, and cultivation and inoculation experiments became necessary 

 in order to differentiate between the specific and non-specific diplo- 

 coccus. Later, after resorting to another method of staining, he 

 satisfied himself that the diplococcus was identical with Neisser's 

 gonococcus. 



Sinety and Henneguy have made special observations in reference 

 to the presence of the gonococcus in the pus of gonorrhceal urethritis 

 in the female and found it present only in cases in which the urine 

 was of alkaline reaction, while they failed to find it when the urine 

 was acid. 



Pott (Archiv f. G-ynakologie, B. xxxii. Heft 3) has examined 96 

 cases of purulent vulvo-vaginitis in children, more than one-half 

 of whom were under five years of age. He believes that they were 

 all the result of some specific infection. Small endemics occurred 

 from the infection of several children in the same family, through 

 the medium of soiled clothing, sponges, etc. The writer has only 

 observed three cases of gonorrhceal infection by direct communica- 

 tion of the virus. Bacteriological examination of the discharge 

 usually revealed the presence of the specific microbe of gonorrhoea. 

 In the discussion of this paper, Prochownik stated that he had found 

 the cocci in 17 out of 21 cases of vulvo-vaginitis in children. In 

 all of the cases urethritis was a prominent symptom. A girl, three 

 and a half years of age, that came under the care of Sanger devel- 

 oped intense peritonitis in consequence of an attack of gonorrhoea. 

 Sanger is of the opinion that cases of pyosalpinx and old localized 

 pelveo-peritonitis in young virgins might possibly be referred to 

 gonorrhoea contracted in childhood through indirect infection. 



Spaeth (Munchener med. Wochenschrift, 1889) examined the pus 

 in 21 cases of vulvo-vaginitis occurring in girls between three and 

 eleven years old, and found gouococci in 14. In the non-specific 

 catarrh the inflammation never implicated the mucous membrane of 

 the urethra. In adult females affected with gonorrhoea the greatest 

 number of the specific microbes is always found in the pus from 

 the urethra. In children it is not always easy to discover the 

 source of infection. In 11 of the above cases the mother had gon- 

 orrhoea ; in 2, the father; in 3 only had the child been violated. 

 In children the disease seldom extends to the uterus and tubes, 

 although a few cases of gonorrhoeal pyosalpinx have been reported. 



Steinschneider (Qentralblatt f. d. med. Wissensch., 1890, No. 39) 



