68 BACTERIOLOGY OF THE EYE 



rapidly, with Sarcina aurantiaca, dead Hefa rosa, a Pseudv-gonococcus 

 and a Subtilis organism. The chalazia do not contain these (Deyl) 

 organisms in such large quantity, but often only very scantily. 

 According to Bietti's results, too, the Deyl bacillus cannot constantly 

 be demonstrated in early chalazia. 



As the relationship of these organisms to those of diphtheria should 

 be taken into consideration in every experimental research, Bietti 

 repeated the lid injections in animals immunized to diphtheria with 

 Behring's serum, and obtained the same result, even when the serum 

 was mixed with the bacterial emulsion. 



With rare exceptions, the organisms obtained from chalazia, on 

 subcutaneous or intraperitoneal injections even of large quantities, 

 showed no pathogenicity for guinea-pigs. The formation of these 

 nodes at the sites of inoculation bears no relationship to specific 

 diphtheritic action, and Hala is wrong when he sees in them any proof 

 of the identity of these organisms with the diphtheria bacillus. 



Under these circumstances the proof of the etiological role of the 

 Bacillus xerosis regarding chalazia must be considered as not suffi- 

 ciently established. We can only say with certainty, with Fuchs and 

 De Vincentis, that there is an adenitis and a peri-adenitis, during 

 whose course masses of inflammatory material are formed, which 

 resolve with difficulty, and that a granulation tissue containing giant 

 cells results. Henke emphasized the presence of debris and crystals, 

 which acted as foreign bodies. Whether the structures described by 

 Alessandro as occurring in the epithelioid and giant cells really are 

 Blastomycetes, still requires proof. How far bacterial irritation is at 

 work also needs further investigation. Even if we accept the Bacillus 

 xerosis as its cause, Hala's explanation as to how the chalazion in- 

 fection occurs still appears inadequate. He considers that the bacilli 

 normally present in the conjunctiva are rubbed in by wiping the 

 eyes, etc. As a matter of fact, however, the bacilli could not thus be 

 brought into the meibomian glands lying in the tarsus where the 

 reaction occurs, but only into their ducts lying in the lid margin, 

 where they actually are found under normal circumstances, as are 

 the Staphylococci in the hair-follicle glands of the skin ; and as these 

 latter, in cases of special diatheses and anomalies of secretion, can 

 produce acne pustules, a similar result may follow the action of 

 the organisms which are found in the meibomian glands, which are 

 merely giant sebaceous glands. 



