82 INFECTIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT 



a high grade of gas formation in rabbits injected and 

 incubated. 



It was found that bouillon cultures of the mixed faecal 

 flora from the lion, tiger, wolf, and cat all developed 

 quickly a sufficient quantity of methyl mercaptan to give 

 a prompt, strong reaction with isatin in sulphuric acid. 



Experiments were made with the mixed fsecal flora 

 from these carnivorous animals to determine their patho- 

 genicity when injected into the subcutaneous connective 

 tissue. It would have been better to have worked 

 with pure cultures of the anaerobes in question, but 

 opportunity has not yet arisen to isolate them. The 

 result of the inoculations into guinea-pigs was the same 

 in each instance. The animals died within twenty- 

 four hours and usually in fifteen to eighteen hours. 

 At autopsy the subcutaneous connective tissues were 

 haemorrhagic, oedematous, and showed necrotic changes 

 which extended in some instances to the muscles. Gas 

 formation was not usually noted as a prominent feature. 

 These pathological alterations were not confined to the 

 site of inoculation, but had extended to the subcutaneous 

 connective tissues throughout the body and were espe- 

 cially pronounced in the axillae and in the groin. It is 

 unnecessary to enter here into the details as to the 

 character of the organisms recovered from these lesions. 



We may contrast with these findings the observations 

 made upon herbivorous animals, including the buffalo, 

 goat, horse, elephant, and camel. In the case of the 

 camel, elephant, and horse the preponderant bacteria 

 in the Gram-stained fields were small, Gram-negative 



