28 



BACTEKIOLOGY OF THE EYE 



ticular points. I can neglect quoting or reviewing all these various 

 records, 1 for when all of these precautions are observed, as is now 

 customary, unanimous findings result, and every one can convince 

 himself of their accuracy by his own research. 



We can now take it as definitely proved that the normal conjunctival 

 sac contains regularly, or almost regularly : 



1. The so-called Xerosis bacillus. 



2. Non-virulent, or very slightly virulent, ivhite Staphylococci. 

 No other findings are constant. 



The Pneumococcus is relatively the most common of the pyogenic 

 organisms, but it is much rarer than the two organisms named, being 

 very scanty and of low virulence (for animals). The other pyogenic 

 organisms (Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus and albus} are not common 

 if the skin around, and especially the lid margins, are not inflamed. 

 Streptococcus pyogenes is rare. 



On a healthy conjunctiva, according to my experience, Diplobadlli 

 and influenzal bacilli are very rare (Erdmann found the former, 

 Eymowicz, Giarre" and Picchi found the latter, more frequently). 

 Besides these, as accidental contaminations, we may find stray colonies 

 of all st>rts of pathogenic and saprophytic bacteria, amongst which, 

 relatively speaking, yellow non-liquefying Cocci, Sarcince, and in some 

 series B. subtilis (D. Smith, Puccioni), are common. 



I will only quote one or two of the numerous recent researches made with suit- 

 able and delicate methods. 



Rymowicz, working with glycerinated blood - serum (collecting material with 

 saline solution after Morax), found in 100 normal conjunctivas : 



Times. 



Bac. xerosis ... ... ... ... 94 1 



Staphylococcus albus (non-liq.) ... 79 



Pneumococcus ... ... ... 9 



Streptococcus pyogenes ... ... 5 



Diplobacillus (Morax -Axenfeld) ... 6 



Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus ... 6 



Stapli.pyog. albus 8 



The frequency of pathogenic organ- 

 isms in this series is relatively high. 

 In individual cases their numbers 

 were much fewer than those of the 

 Xerosis and Staph. albus. 



Under my own supervision, Heinersdorff in sixty-one cases (collecting with a 

 double loop, and using Loffler's blood-serum), found : 



Per Cent. 



Sac. xerosis ... ... ... ... 83 



Staph. albus ... ... ... ... 85 



Staph. aureus 



Pneumococcus 



Streptococcus 



Sarcince 



Other single organisms 



Here, too, when pyogenic organ- 

 isms were present, they occurred in 

 very small numbers. 



1 This is fully done in my collected review, ' Bakteriologie und Parasiten,' 1894-1900, 

 Ergebnisse der Path. A-nat. von Lubarsch Ostertag. Wiesbaden : F. Bergmaun, Jahr 3, 5, 6. 



