48 



A microscopic examination of smears from the left inguinal 

 glands shows innumerable plague bacilli, most of which are oval, 

 or almost spherical, in form, with a narrow peripheral stained 

 margin, suggesting mere empty shells. Smears from the right 

 inguinal glands contain a moderate number of plague bacilli, which 

 are also quite numerous in the juice of the spleen. The heart's 

 blood contains several varieties of micro-organisms in moderate 

 numbers. Among them possibly a very few plague bacilli are 

 present. 



Tubes inoculated from the left inguinal bubo and from the spleen 

 developed a typical plague growth. 



Microscopic examination. — Left inguinal glands : The finer gland 

 structure is practically completely lost, though follicles can here 

 and there still be recognized to some extent. All of the vessels show 

 great dilatation and engorgement, and the connective tissue at the 

 hilum is increased; toward the periphery tracts of coagulation 

 necroses are seen. Here the oedema is also marked. All throughout 

 the glands there are found masses composed of innumerable, very 

 densely crowded plague bacilli. In sections stained with eosin- 

 methylene-blue, but which have been too much decolorized, the 

 bacillar masses are somewhat stained by eosin and they look simply 

 like ordinary granular material, for which in such improperly 

 stained sections they may easily be mistaken. It is particularly 

 the periphery of the gland which is quite extensively infiltrated 

 with red blood corpuscles. This extravasation extends beyond the 

 capsule and into the Surrounding loose areolar connective tissue, 

 where it is mixed with a more or less marked leucocytic infiltration. 

 The parenchyma cells of the glands are small mononuclears and 

 some plasma cells, polynuclears of the ordinary type, and a few 

 eosinophilics. In sections stained by Weigert's method, numerous 

 capillaries and other small vessels are found to be closed by hyaline 

 fibrin thrombi. This thrombosis is generally complete in the 

 smallest vessels only. In the larger ones we see an incomplete 

 thrombosis. The fibrin in the latter is deposited on the intima and 

 leaves a free space in the center of the vessel, which, however, may 

 show an open network of fibrin filaments. The endothelial lining of 

 the vessels, totally or partly thrombosed, is apparently generally 

 intact, although there may be seen places where the endothelia are 

 missing. Such losses are probably due to an artefact. The vessel 

 walls proper do not show any profound changes; however, a minor 



