162 MICRO-ORGANISMS AND DISEASE. [CHAP. 



once be relieved of searching for the initial cause in the out- 

 break of an epidemic. But in that case we should be forced 

 to contemplate, as floating in the air, in the water, in the soil, 

 everywhere, millions of bacteria which, owing to some peculiar 

 unknown condition, are capable at once to start any kind of 

 infectious disorder, say anthrax (Buchner), infectious ophthal- 

 mia (Sattler), and probably a host of other infectious diseases, 

 and thus to form the starting-point of epidemics. And the 

 only redeeming feature, if redeeming it can be called, in this 

 calamity would be the thought that the particular bacterium 

 would by and by, owing to some accidental new conditions,: 

 again become harmless. 



These were the reasons, and good reasons I think they were, 

 which prompted me to inquire into the jequirity bacillus and 

 jequirity ophthalmia, and after a very careful and extensive 

 series of experiments, to be described presently, I have proved 

 beyond any doubt that the jequirity bacillus, per se, has no 

 more power to create an infectious ophthalmia than Buchner's 

 hay-bacillus had of creating anthrax. 



The following experiments prove this conclusively : 



The seeds of jequirity (Abrus precatorius) are crushed an 'I 

 powdered, the perisperm is removed, and of the rest an infu- 

 sion is made of about the strength of half per cent, with dis- 

 tilled water, previously boiled and contained in a flask 

 previously sterilised (by heat) and plugged with sterile cotton- 

 wool. The infusion is made while the water is still tepid. 

 After half an hour the infusion is filtered into a fresh sterile 

 flask, plugged with sterile cotton-wool, the access of air being 

 limited as much as possible. This is effected by keeping the 

 cotton-wool in the mouth of the flask around the end of the 

 glass filter. The filtered fluid is of a slightly yellowish-green 

 colour, and is almost neutral and limpid. A small quantity 

 is withdrawn with a capillary glass pipette freshly drawn out, 

 and from this several test-tubes containing sterile nourishing 

 material (peptone solution, broth, Agar-Agar and peptone) are' 

 inoculated ; and from the same pipette, and at the same time, 

 several eyeballs of healthy rabbits are inoculated, by placing 

 a drop or two of the infusion under the conjunctiva bulbi. 

 The test-tubes are placed in the incubator and kept there at 

 35 C. After twenty-four hours all eyeballs are intensely in- 

 flamed, the eyelids closed and swollen, and a large amount of. 

 purulent secretion is present in the conjunctival sac, but all 

 the test-tubes remain perfectly limpid ; no growth has made 

 its appearance, and they remain so. 



In a second series the infusion prepared in the above manner 



