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A MANUAL OF BACTERIOLOGY 



scribed a bacillus somewhat resembling the pneumo- bacillus. 

 It is this organism which produces the atrophy of the mucous 

 membrane, but the fetor is due to the decomposition of the 

 secretions by other organisms. 



Perez 1 isolated an organism in ozsena (Cocco -bacillus felidus 

 ozcencv) which has the following characters : it is a short bacillus 

 with rounded ends, non-motile, does not stain by Gram's method, 

 does not liquefy gelatin, does not ferment lactose nor curdle milk, 

 but forms indole and ferments urea. Its cultures are foul-smell- 

 ing, and it is pathogenic for guinea-pigs, mice, rabbits, and pigeons. 



PELLAGRA. Many hypotheses have been propounded to 

 account for the causation of this disease. It formerly was 

 supposed to be due to the consumption of maize, which contains 

 toxic substances. Lombroso suggested that spoilt maize is the 

 cause, toxic substances being produced by Penicillmm glaucum. 

 Recent work is discrediting parasitic theories and we are reverting 

 to the former view that the disease is dependent upon food ; it 

 is probably a " deficiency disease " like beri-beri. Of parasitic 

 theories, Ceni and others suggest infection with Aspergilli. Tizzoni 

 attributes it to the pleomorphic Strepto -bacillus pellagrce (which 

 may be a pleomorphic form of an actinomycotic organism). 

 Sambori on epidemiological data believes that a protozoan 

 parasite is the agent and is transmitted by small biting flies of 

 the genus Simulium. The sun's rays have also been supposed 

 to cause the affection. 



PERITONITIS. Treves gives the following table of the micro- 

 organisms found in peritonitis : 



1 Ann. de VInst. Pasteur, xiii, 1899, p. 937, and xv, 1901, p. 409. 



