94 BACTERIOLOGY OF THE EYE 



obtained only a slight reaction when he injected small amounts into the vitreous ; 

 often only a transient cloudiness occurred. Nevertheless Rupprecht and myself 

 have shown that subacute cataract-infection occurs in the human eye trom in- 

 fection by white Staphylococci, which cause no reaction in the rabbit's cornea. 

 These cocci may perhaps find a specially favourable medium in the aqueous mixed 

 with lens matter, the more so when the power of resistance is low. 



In an eye with iridocyclitis, after cataract extraction and prolapse of vitreous, 

 Gourfein 1 found the Micrococcus candicans i.e., the white non-liquefying StapJiy- 

 lococcus. 



Many strains of B. xerosis, the commonest of the conjunctival flora, do not 

 possess the power of active multiplication in the interior of the rabbit's eye. With 

 Dr. Vogel 2 I have injected a number of these strains into the vitreous. When in 

 great numbers they cause an inflammatory infiltration, varying in degree ; but in 

 a few days only degenerate bacilli can be found, and in cultures very few colonies 

 were obtained. After about a week all was sterile. With very small injections of 

 other strains, Bietti 3 obtained the same result. Although we are not justified in 

 attributing to the majority of the conjunctival xerose bacilli the power of infecting 

 wounds, yet there are here and there strains which can grow in the interior of the 

 eye, and can remain alive there for a considerable time. This is shown by the 

 experiments by Deyl and Demaria, 4 and in cases of wounds recorded by Kastalska, 

 Gourfein, and D. Smith, such bacilli were obtained. The first two authors had 

 cases of panophthalmitis in the full sense of the word. It would have been in- 

 teresting had controlled inoculation been made with small quantities of these 

 bacilli to determine the power of reproduction. 



I would like to note here that the inflammatory reaction produced by these 

 pseudo-diphtheria bacilli is not influenced in the slightest degree by diphtheria 

 antitoxin. 



The following bacteriological researches are available on the 

 question of post-operative panophthalmitis in the human eye : 



Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus : Cases by Leber, Sattler (Internat. 

 Ophth. Congr., 1889), Weeks, 5 Terson and Gabrielides, 6 De Schweinitz 7 

 (Staph. pyog. citreus and pseudo-diphtheria bacilli). 



Ozcena or Pneumobacillus : Cases by Terson and Gabrielides (c/.p. 242). 



Xerose bacilli or bacilli of the diphtheria group : A few cases (Kas- 

 talska, Gourfein, loc. cit.}. 



Pneumococci : Cases by Gasparrini, 8 Ewetski, 9 Mundler, 10 Oertzen, 11 

 Kuhnt, 12 Schirmer and Flatau, 13 Schmidt and Hirota, 14 Johnston, 15 

 Woods and Johnston, 16 Taylor, 17 Duclos 18 (the last-named seven cases). 



Besides the two published cases by Oertzen, from 1897 to 1907, I 



1 Revue Mid. de la Suisse Eomande, January, 19C4. 



2 Inaug. Dissert., Freiburg, 1906. 3 Ann. di Ottal., 1906, xxxv. 1. 



4 Levy and Fukler speak in a similar way of a Corynebacterium pyogenes (cf. Lewandowski, 

 Zent.f. Bakt., 1904, xxxvi. 369). 



5 Arch, of Ophth., xxi. 22. Arch, d' Ophth., 1894, xiv. 488. 



7 Ophth. Rev., 1896, p. 32. 



8 Atti della U. Acad. dei Fisiocrit., 1894, v. 48 (Siena). 



9 Wjestnik OftaL, 1895, p. 222. w Ziegler's Beitrdcje, 1897, xxii. 248. 

 11 K. M.j. A., 1899, p. 432. 12 Zeit.f. A., 1899, p. 52. 



13 Ibid,, 1903, ix. 213. " Ibid., 1902, vii. 



1S Med. News, 1904, 85. )B Ophth. Rec., 1904, p. 149. 



17 T. 0. S., 1903, p. 130. " Ann. d'Ocul., 1905, cxxxiv. 409. 



