2O Comparative Studies 



the pseudo-diphtheria bacilli were non-virulent forms of the 

 Loffler bacillus. Roux and Yersin isolated the pseudo- 

 diphtheria bacillus from the mucus of the pharynx and 

 tonsils of children, as follows : From forty-five children 

 suffering from various affections, not diphtheritic, fifteen 

 times ; from fifty-nine healthy children, twenty-six times. 

 They found the bacillus in five out of seven cases of 

 measles. Inoculations into animals never produced fatal 

 results. At times a notable edema was produced, espe- 

 cially so with cultures obtained from cases of measles. 

 They state that the organisms can only be differentiated 

 from the Loffler bacillus by inoculations into animals. 

 Their morphological and cultural differences prove nothing. 



The xerosis bacillus was discovered in large quantities 

 by Kuschbert and Neisser (Breslau artzliche Zeitschrift, 

 1883, No. 4) in a condition known as xerosis conjunctivae, 

 and their observations have been confirmed by many others. 



A. Neisser (4) reports his studies on what he calls spore- 

 formation of xerosis bacilli and other organisms. He states 

 that when stained nearly all the bacilli show deeply-stained 

 poles, with an unstained centre ; sometimes entire separa- 

 tion into two short, almost square halves. The clear 

 space in the centre is not a spore. 



Ernst (5) isolated the xerosis bacillus^from a twelve- 

 year-old boy with well-marked xerosis with hernoralopie. 

 He describes the polar granules observed in these organisms. 



Abbott (6) studied the occurrence of the pseudo-diph- 

 theria bacillus in benign throat affections, such as acute 

 pharyngitis, follicular tonsillitis, post-nasal catarrh, simple 

 enlargement of the tonsils, chronic pharyngitis, subacute 

 and chronic laryngitis, and rhinitis. Out of fifty-three 

 patients examined forty-nine presented nothing peculiar. 

 A variety of micro-organisms were found, most commonly 

 the pyogenic cocci. In four cases micro-organisms were 

 found which resembled the L,6fHer bacillus morphologically, 

 but were found to be non-pathogenic. 



