222 BACTERIOLOGY 



CHAPTER X 



BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE ORGANS AND CAVITIES 

 OF THE BODY AND THEIR CONTENTS 



Micro-organisms of the living body. In this section a 

 series of micro-organisms will be dealt with, which find a 

 congenial pabulum in the organs and cavities of the living 

 individual. They are derived partly from the air, partly 

 from water or other surrounding media, and may occur 

 either as saprophytes or parasites. 



I. THE SKIN 



Micro-organisms of the skin. Most of the micro-organ- 

 isms met with on the skin in the cutaneous secretions are 

 saprophytes, but many pathogenic varieties also occur in 

 this situation. The space beneath the nails, in particular, 

 is rich in forms, containing especially germs, according to 

 Preindlsberger, which are found also on other regions of 

 the cutaneous surface as well as often in the air, and hence 

 may penetrate with it into the respiratory organs. Patho- 

 genic germs are found amongst them. Penetration . of 

 micro-organisms into the unbroken skin probably takes 

 place by the openings of the glands, or perhaps by the 

 agency of stinging insects. 



Amongst the cutaneous micro-organisms the bacteria 

 of the female generative organs are also included. Straus 

 and Toledo have found that microbes do not occur either in 

 the parietes or secretion of the normal uterus, and it is 

 only in the vagina, where there are accumulations of 



