WOUND INFECTION 79 



The experiments of De Bono and Frisco l on goats, asses, and calves, showed no 

 bactericidal action. Staph. pyogenes aureus, typhoid, cholera and diphtheria bacilli 

 multiplied in the tears. The tubercle bacillus did not lose its virulence ; on the 

 other hand, the Staph. aureus and diphtheria bacillus were weakened 2 (vide infra}. 

 These results are not so applicable to man as to those animals whose Harderian 

 glands can be affected. 



Helleberg 3 and Hirota, 4 who worked with Staphylococci, favour a bactericidal 

 property for Staph. aureus, though it is slight and not always demonstrable. 

 Addition of tears to bouillon had more effect than a similar addition of water. In 

 the case of Staph. albus (from the normal conjunctiva) any bactericidal property of 

 the tears was certainly not obvious. As this property was lost when the tears were 

 heated to over 58 C., Helleberg considered that the action was due to an admixture 

 with the tears of ' alexine,' which was destroyed by this temperature. 



Eomer 5 ascribed no definite bactericidal function to the tears. He found that 

 after remaining eight days in the conjunctival sac behind the sutured lids, anthrax 

 spores were unchanged and still virulent. 



From these experiments it is clear that a bactericidal action can only occur to a 

 limited extent. The same Bacteria, too, do not always react in the same way. There 

 are two points to be considered : 



(a) Do the tears form a favourable medium for the growth of Bacteria ? The 

 answer is that they are a very bad one. 



(6) Have they a positive bactericidal (disinfecting) power, or can they diminish 

 virulence ? 



Although a definite bactericidal action for the Staph. aureus occurs, yet such is 

 by no means the case with other pyogenic organisms. Even the Staph. albus non- 

 liq., the common inhabitant of the conjunctiva, is not susceptible to this influence. 



With regard to the bacilli of the diphtheria group, I consider that any 

 bactericidal action of the tears is practically disproved, seeing that these organisms 

 not only exist and grow in the normal and the pathological conjunctival sac, but 

 even after excision of the sac develop in enormous numbers in the stagnant 

 tears. 6 



It would naturally be of interest to learn what action the tears have on the 

 important pathogenic organisms of the conjunctiva. The aureus, which, at the time 

 of the experiments referred to, was considered to be the most important, is much 

 less so than the Pneumococcus and others. Dr. Blair (Pittsburg), and Professor 

 Ogawa (Okayama) have carried out some experiments in my laboratory, the former 

 with the Gonococcus, the latter with the Pneumococcus. For both of these 

 important organisms the tears are naturally a very bad medium ; but even with their 

 admixture, no bactericidal action could be shown on susceptible media. These 

 results have been confirmed by Zur Nedden. 



1 ' Sul comportamento dclla glandole lagrimale e del suo secreto verso i microorganismi ' 

 (Arch, di OttaL, 1899, vii. 195). 



2 An excretion by the lacrymal gland of Bacteria in circulation (anthrax, Prodigiosus, 

 Pneumococcus) did not occur in these animals, although Pneumococci could be demonstrated 

 in the intertubular vessels. It only occurred to a limited extent after section of the 

 sympathetic (vasomotor paralysis). 



The statement by Valentin! (Boll, dell' Osped. oft. della Prov. di Roma, 1903, S. 174) 

 that the course of an inoculation keratitis in animals was more severe when the lacrymal 

 gland had been excised requires further confirmation. 



3 Widmark's ' Mitteilungen ' (Fischer, Jena, 1901), iii., S. 39. 



4 Hirota, Cent.f. Bakt., xxxi., S. 225. 



5 Zeit.f. Hygiene u. Infektionskrankheiten, 1894, xxxii., S., 285. 



8 Plant and Von Zelewski, K. M. f. A., 1901, S. 369. Marthen (loc. cit.), at any rate, 

 obtained no results with the Bacillus (x). From the description, I would consider it to be the 

 Bacillus xerosis. 



