60 



BACTERIOLOGY OF THE EYE 



spoiled this rare preparation. The infection was probably staphylococcal, but 

 Streptococcus brevis could not be excluded, even although an infection of the hair 

 bulbs by the latter is so rare. 



The typical hordeolum is almost invariably a staphylococcal infection, 

 zurcus generally being the cause. Any condition which predisposes 

 to furunculosis and acne can also predispose to recurrent hordeola 

 anaemia, scrofula, diabetes, dyspepsia, convalescence from fevers 

 (measles), etc. Hordeola may be merely incidents in a chronic 

 blepharitis. They have an intimate connexion with blepharitis 

 ulcerosa. Eecurrent hordeola, such as follow measles, may be the 

 starting-points of a chronic blepharitis, which leads to a deeper 



FIG. 6. ACNE PUSTULES OF Lin, WITH CENTRAL MASS OF Cocci (BLACK), 



ARISING FROM THE LAND GO HAIRS. 



infection of the hair follicles. Even the simple squamous blepharitis 

 or seborrhoea can cause the formation of hordeola, which dimmish 

 when that condition is treated. Hordeola, sometimes with eczema of 

 the lid, commonly occur when a bandage has been used for a 

 long time. A furuncle of the caruncula lacrymalis is rare, and arises 

 in the glands of the hair follicles. It usually contains Staphylococci. 



Virulent pyogenic cocci occur in all these cases, so that a contact 

 infection can almost always be excluded. The cocci come from the 

 patients themselves. Seeing that only in a small proportion of the cases 

 can pyogenic Staphylococci, usually yellow, be found in or on the normal 

 skin of the lids, it might be supposed that it was only those having these 

 cocci who suffered from hordeola or other staphylococcal skin affections. 

 It is more probable, however, that the avirulent saprophytic cocci 

 of the skin can become virulent, and thus, under predisposing 



