88 BACTEKIOLOGY OF THE EYE 



observations have been made in cases of wound infection in men 

 (wounds with pieces of wood, etc.), the literature of Subtilis will be now 

 discussed, and I will preface it with some remarks on bacteriology. 



Bacillus Subtilis (Heubaeillus). 1 

 (Plate III., Fig. 6.) 



Haab and his pupil Paplawska found a large Gram-positive bacillus 

 (' Haab's Panophthalmiebazillus ') as the result of a wound from a 

 splinter of wood. Eomer has since expressed the opinion that this 

 organism, which he found in a cataract infection, was a variety of 

 Subtilis. The bacillus, however, could not be cultivated. In 1902 

 Silberschmidt proved experimentally by cultures that we had to do 

 with an organism of the Subtilis group which occurred in the soil. 

 Kayser confirmed this. Polatti furnished a very full experimental 

 examination of the Subtilis forms in the soil of Western Switzerland 

 and their pathogenicity for the eye. Stregulina, under the direction 

 of Silberschmidt, examined the ground flora in the region of Zurich 

 for the presence of pathogenic Subtilis. 



MOKPHOLOGY, CULTURES, PATHOGENICITY. 



General features of the Subtilis group : Motile Gram-positive bacilli 1/2 to 3 /along, 

 0'8 to 1*2 n broad, forming oval (usually centrally placed) spores, tending to grow into 

 long chains of rods and filaments. They liquefy gelatine with varying rapidity. 

 Most stems are absolutely aerobic. 



On gelatine-plate cultures, the single grey colonies show a felted central mass and 

 have a curly edge, with feathery processes ; on the surface the liquefied gelatine 

 forms a soft crumbly skin, which is sometimes wrinkled. On agar plates greyish 

 white colonies develop, with filamentous or feathery margins (cf. Fig. 10). In 

 bouillon there is clouding and formation of a scum, and development is well 

 marked, especially in sugar bouillon. Milk is peptonized ; blood-serum slowly 

 liquefied. On potatoes a creamy scum forms, which is sometimes folded, and in 

 many stems stains yellow or red. The optimum temperature is 22 to 37 C., but 

 growth is free at room temperature ; at C. and 50 C. growth ceases. Spores 



1 Axenfeld, K. M. f. A., 1905, xliii., Beilagcheft, S. 102. Biinziger and Silberschmidt, 

 Ophth. Ges., Heidelberg, 1902. Bietti, Ann. di Ottal., 1906, xxxv., p. 518. Chaillous, 

 Soc. d'Ophth. de Paris, 1C. M. f. A., 1907, i. 1. Delbanco, Munch. Med. Woch., 1900, 

 S. 951. Derby, American Jour, of Ophth., 1905, p. 7. Gonella, Internal. Ophth. Kongress. 

 Luzern, 1904, C, S. 75. Gourfein, ebd., B., S. 10. Haab, Fortschritte der Med., 1891, 

 ix., S. 781. Hartwig, Inaug. Diss., Jena, 1903. Hess, 'Pathologic des Linsensystems,' 

 'Handb. d. ges. Augenh.,' 2nd edit. Kayser, Zent. f. Bakt., 1902, xxxiii. 1, S. 241. 

 Kisskalt, Zcit. f. Hyg. und Infect. Krank., 1904, xlvii., S. 244. Koske, Arbeiien aus dem 

 Kaiserl. Gesundheitsamt, Berlin, 1905. Lobanow, Wcstnik OftaL, 1896, xvi. Meyer, Zent. 

 f. A., July, 1903. Michalski, Zent. f. Bakt., 1904, xxxvi., S. 212. Perles, M., Virchows 

 Arch., 1895, cxl., S. 209. Polatti, Ann. di Ottal., 1905, xxxiv. Paplawska, A. f. A., 

 1890, xxii., S. 337. Komer, Ophth. Ges., Heidelberg, 1901. Sidler, Korrespondenzbl. f. 

 Schweizer Arzte, 1903, S. 691. Silberschmidt, Ann. de I'lnst. Pasteur, 1903, xvii., p. 268. 

 D. Smith, A. of 0., 1905 and 1906, 34, 35. Ulbrich, A. f. 0., 1904, Iviii., S. 243. 

 Weidmann, Inaug. Diss., Zurich, 1888. Zur Nedden, A.f. A., 1905 Hi., S. 143. 



