84 INFECTIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT 



animals injected with faeces from the horse were found 

 hsemorrhagic and cedematous lesions with necrosis, 

 similar to those found in the carnivorous animals. 

 These lesions were, however, less pronounced than hi the 

 case of the suspensions from the carnivorous animals. 

 In the case of the elephant a considerable quantity 

 of fibrinous exudate was found about the point of in- 

 oculation. No oedema or necrotic change was observed 

 in the subcutaneous tissues. 



A further confirmation of the radical differences 

 existing in the intestinal tracts of carnivora and her- 

 bivora is furnished by a series of observations with the 

 Welch-Nut tall incubation test. Suspensions were made 

 from the fseces of all the types of animals mentioned, 

 and equal quantities of these suspensions were infused 

 intravenously into a series of living rabbits. The rabbits 

 were then quickly killed and incubated. On examination 

 after twenty-four hours it was found that all the rabbits 

 infused with suspensions from carnivora showed in an 

 extreme degree the characteristic putrefactive changes 

 hi the liver, cellular tissues, etc., induced by pure cul- 

 tures of B. aerogenes capsulatus or of the bacillus of 

 symptomatic anthrax. The rabbits infused with sus- 

 pensions made from the fseces of the herbivora showed 

 similar but very much slighter changes in each case. 

 The results for each group of animals separated the her- 

 bivora sharply from the carnivora. Examination of the 

 livers showed the number of bacteria hi the carnivorous 

 series to be many times greater than in the herbivorous 

 series. The microorganisms were regarded as being 



