SYPHILIS AND YAWS 65 



kinds. The result has been to establish their constant occurrence both 

 in various tissues and organs and in the blood in human syphilis and 

 in experimental syphilis in apes and other animals. They are found in 

 primary and secondary lesions of both acquired and hereditary syphilis, 

 but up to the present they have not been found in tertiary^syphilis. 1 

 A nitrate of silver method of staining introduced by Levatadi demon- 

 strates countless spiral bodies in syphilitic placentas 2 and in the lungs 

 of subjects who have died of hereditary syphilis ; but it is not yet 

 quite settled whether all these bodies are the parasites or not. 



Among the relatively few writers who have made an attempt to 

 trace the life - history of the parasites are Krzsztalowicz and 

 Siedlecki, 3 who describe trypaniform and sexual stages; but the brief 

 series of forms they depict is too restricted for it to agree with the 

 entire life-cycle of any known trypanosome. Dr. H. M. Woodcock 

 surmises that the spironema has probably been evolved along similar 

 lines to Trypanosoma equiperdum (the parasite of dourine), although 

 the spironema is probably more modified and almost certainly limited 

 to the human host. 



The British author who has paid most attention to this aspect 

 of the problem is Dr. Alex. MacLennan (Glasgow), whose chief 

 published contribution 4 appeared last year. Since then I have 

 seen his preparations at a demonstration. 5 Among other bodies 

 were typical spironemata having a bright globule attached either at 

 one end or near the middle, as well as various minute globular and 

 tailed bodies, clearly shown in preparations from various syphilitic 

 sores, glands, etc. Dr. MacLennan holds the view that the small 

 tailed bodies are the same as those described by Siegel (see p. 62), 

 and that they form with the typical spironemata part of a -life-cycle 

 the remainder of which remains to be determined. 



Struck by the difficulty of finding spironemata in the blood of 



1 /.., not in the spiral form ; Schaudinn described them as occurring in tertiary 

 lesions as little granules ' in the characteristic resting state ' (Deutsch. Med. Woch.^ 

 1905, No. 42, p. 1665). 



2 Marie Wersilowa, Cent, fur Bakt., October 29, 1906." 



3 Quoted by H. M. Woodcock, Quart. Journ. Microsc. Science. June, 1906. 



4 Alex. MacLennan, Brit. Med. Joitrn., May 12, 1906. 



5 Royal Medico-Chirurgical Society, January 8, 1907. 



5 



