DISTEMPER AND DYSENTERY 683 



is rare in this country. In London, Morgan has isolated in a 

 number of cases a bacillus of the Gartner group having particular 

 fermentation reactions (see p. 445). Lewis 1 found that non- 

 liquefying and non-lactose-fermenting bacilli are more frequent 

 in the faeces of children suffering from diarrhoea than in normal 

 children, and believes that Morgan's bacillus has a causal relation- 

 ship in many cases. Alexander 2 also found Morgan's bacillus 

 more frequent in diarrhoea cases than in normal children. 



Ralph Vincent ascribes the disease (which he terms " zymotic 

 enteritis") to the ordinary organisms of putrefaction gaining 

 access to milk and multiplying and causing alterations therein. 



The stinking motions of the diarrhoea of children have been 

 ascribed to the action of organisms belonging to the Proteus 

 group, particularly B. proteus (P. vulgaris, see p. 414), which 

 occurs in putrefying matter, sewage, and in the intestine. 



DISTEMPER, CANINE. According to Galli-Valerio, 3 this is 

 caused by a bacillus (B. caniculce) intermediate in character 

 between the coli-typhoid and hsemorrhagic septicaemic groups 

 of organisms. Torrey and Rahe 4 confirm Ferry and M'Gowan's 

 observations on a bacillus (B. bronchisepticus) present in dis- 

 temper. It does not ferment any sugars and litmus milk becomes 

 markedly alkaline. 



Evidence has also been brought forward that distemper is due 

 to a filter passer (Carr6). Probably the term " distemper " may 

 include several different diseases. 



DYSENTERY. Dysentery must be regarded as a term applied 

 to a series of clinical symptoms associated with colitis which is 

 due to different specific agents. There are two principal forms 

 of the disease, the tropical, endemic or amoebic dysentery caused 

 by the Entamceba histolytica (p. 581), and the epidemic or bacillary 

 dysentery due to the group of dysentery bacilli (p. 445). The 

 former is met with especially in the East, and is characterised 

 by chronicity, a tendency to relapses, amenability to treatment 

 with ipecacuanha, and the occurrence of the single liver abscess 



1 Rep. Mud. Off. Loc. Gov. Board tor 1911-12, p. 265, and ibid, for 1912-13, 

 p. 375. 



2 Ibid, 1911-12, p. 288. 



3 Centr. f. Bakt. (Ref.), xli, 1908, p. 563. See also M'Gowan, Journ. 

 Pathol. and Bacterial, vol. xv, 1911, p. 372 (Bibliog.) and xvi, p. 257. 



* Journ. Med. Research, xxvii, 1912, p. 291 (Bibliog.). 



