THE LACRYMAL APPARATUS 



291 



Polymorphism was very pronounced in the cultures. The first cultures showed 

 rods like diphtheria bacilli, which occasionally branched. Long branching threads 

 with swellings on them were often very obvious ; short rods occurred still more 

 frequently, and in the older cultures cocco-bacillary forms. Long threads were 

 especially well seen when the material was evenly and smoothly spread, and not too 

 much teased out. 



Closely tangled bundles of fibres were never observed, nor was there any radial 

 arrangement. 



The Streptotlirix had only a slight pathogenicity for animals ; intravenous 

 injection in rabbits produced no result, but intraperitoneal and subcutaneous in 

 guinea-pigs and white mice produced a free local suppuration. 



'- 



FIG. 62. AXENFELD, CASE III. SMEAR FROM THE CONCRETION. 



This Streptothrix, therefore, corresponded neither to the aerobic Actinomyces 

 of Bostrom, nor the anaerobic one of Israel. Of course it is impossible to say to 

 what extent the characteristics determined by Silberschmidt can be applied to the 

 earlier cases which were culturally undefined. 



Silberschmidt was very fortunate in having a pure culture of the Streptothrix 

 from the first. This is rarely the case. In my five cases which are described in 

 the dissertation by Cahn, there was always from the first an admixture of large 

 numbers of other organisms Streptococci and bacilli (exclusive of the cocco- 

 bacillary forms of the Streptotliricece). These other organisms rapidly grew over 

 the medium in the aerobic cultures, while the Streptothricece, with their slow growth 

 never appeared. On the other hand, in anaerobic cultures the former were in abey- 



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