22 Comparative Studies 



tivitis crouposa for fourteen days. A culture taken from 

 the conjunctiva was identical with the Loftier bacillus. 

 Fourteen days after recovery the child was again examined 

 and a culture obtained from the conjunctiva which was 

 identical with the first, except that it was non-virulent. 

 These cultures were examined by Fraenkel and showed 

 the same results. On the other hand, Franke (10) examined 

 128 normal conjunctivae without being able to discover 

 the bacillus. 



Abbott (n) in a paper on the etiology of membranous 

 rhinitis states his conclusions as follows : 



" We are inclined to the opinion that the term ' pseudo- 

 diphtheritic bacillus ' as applied to an organism in all re- 

 spects identical with the genuine diphtheritic bacillus, 

 save for its inability to kill guinea-pigs when inoculated 

 subcutaneously, is a misnomer, and that it would be more 

 nearly correct to designate this organism as the attenuated 

 or non-virulent diphtheritic bacillus, reserving the term 

 * pseudo-diphtheritic ' for that organism or group of or- 

 ganisms (for there are probably several) that is enough like 

 the diphtheria-bacillus to attract attention, but is dis- 

 tinguishable from it by certain morphological and cultural 

 peculiarities aside from the question of virulence." 



Howard (12) found the organism in ulcerative endocardi- 

 tis, both in the valves and in other internal organs. Bern- 

 heim (13) in one case of diphtheria found also the pseudo- 

 diphtheria bacillus, which proved to be non-pathogenic. 

 He noticed no necrosis nor loss in body-weight in the ani- 

 mals inoculated, thus differentiating between the pseudo- 

 diphtheria bacillus and diphtheria bacilli that are of low 

 virulence. Davolos (14) found the bacillus in a case of 

 impetigo. Deyl (15) isolated it in fifteen cases of " chala- 

 zion ' ' formation, and considered that it was the cause of 

 the disease. He was able to produce such formations in 

 animals, by means of inoculation with this organism. He 

 also found the organisms in gonorrhoea and blenorrhoea. 



