210 INFECTIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT 



suffice to make the distinction. It was found that in the 

 rabbit test the rauschbrand bacillus sent me by Dr. 

 Theobald Smith sporulated very freely and characteris- 

 tically in the blood and spleen and liver. We have 

 never observed sporulation on the part of B. aerogenes 

 capsulatus within the body of a rabbit incubated accord- 

 ing to the Welch-Nut tall method. Whether the bacillus 

 of rauschbrand ordinarily occurs in the human intestine 

 is questionable. It seems unlikely that it should be 

 found there except in the case of persons living in asso- 

 ciation with infected cattle. 



Bacillus botulinus. Botulism is a variety of meat 

 poisoning in which the pathological effects are due to a 

 powerful soluble poison made by a strict anaerobe, these 

 effects being exerted mainly on the central nervous 

 system. The organism in question resembles in some 

 respects B. aerogenes capsulatus } and in others the bacillus 

 of tetanus. 1 It was isolated in 1896 by Van Ermengen 

 from a sample of ham, the eating of which in a raw state 

 had caused many instances of poisoning and some with 



1 B. botulinus possesses a varied morphology, sporulates ter- 

 minally, makes little gas on sugar-blood bouillon, and is motile. 

 The specimen sent to me by Krai as Van Ermengen 's B. botulinus 

 was introduced into a rabbit and subjected to the incubation test. 

 It was found that the liver was in an advanced state of putrefac- 

 tion, but neither this organ nor any other part of the body showed 

 even the slightest indications of gas formation. It is noteworthy 

 that the vegetative form of the organism (which is the form in 

 which the botulinus bacillus was introduced) showed evidence of 

 sporulation in the spleen but not in the blood or the liver. An 

 absorption test made by Mr. Ward showed that the gas formed by 

 this bacillus on dextrose-blood bouillon consisted of four parts 

 carbon dioxide to one part of hydrogen. 



