24 Objects Seen in Cholera Evacuations. [part i. 



On the second day the corpuscular bodies appeared to be more granular or less like 

 oil globules, frequently with one or more indistinctly visible vacuolse (Plate XVI, 

 Fig. Ivii, 1) ; many are elongated, and presenting very slight movements (Ivii, 2). 

 A few animalculae were still present ; germinating spores were also visible. 



On the third day the circular and oval bodies had almost entirely disappeared, 

 but on approaching the margin of the fluid immense numbers of the animalculae, to the 

 extent of half the field of the microscope, were seen moving about with great rapidity, 

 and perpetually altering their form, a clear space being observed in some of them 

 (Fig. Mi, 3). 



On the fourth day the activity of the little animalculae had diminished, many 

 were gradually re-assuming the circular condition. Thinking that this was an indica- 

 tion for a fresh supply of air, the varnish was scratched away from a small portion of 

 the side with a needle, watching the etfect under the microscope while doing so. 

 They did not appear to be particularly affected by this proceeding, for in the course 

 of an hour they had all become circular, and almost motionless ; many attempts 

 were made to get at a more complete life history than this, but hitherto without 

 success. 



The duration of the corpuscles and of the active animalculae is very variable, 

 sometimes easily recognized in stools which have been kept for a month ; on other 

 occasions disappear in a few hours. They have frequently been seen, after having 

 been thoroughly dried, to re-assume active movements on the addition of fluid ; but 

 exposure to the sun at a temperature of 120'' Fahv. stops all movements, no matter 

 in what fluid they are placed, becoming sometimes completely disintegrated, but they 

 will re-appear in such a fluid after a time under favourable circumstances — probably 

 new ones being developed. These bodies are not confined to any particular stage of 

 cholera, as the following will prove. 



Illustration III. : — 



The dejection of a person, shortly after the first symptoms of cholera set in, 

 was obtained for examination. It was about the third liquid stool, of a pale yellow 

 colour, slightly alkaline to test-paper, with the average amount of sediment. This 

 consisted almost entirely of circular corpuscles presenting amoeboid alterations of shape, 

 associated with blood-cells and animalculae, the bodies sketched in Figs. Iviii to Ix, 

 Plate XVI. First, a number of large granular cells, very delicate filmy spheres, rolling 

 about under the covering glass (Fig. Iviii.) frequently, as if undergoing the process of 

 division ; secondly, corpuscles of the same granular appearance, but generally somewhat 

 smaller, from which filmy, vesicle-like projections were seen to proceed very, very 

 slowly, and as slowly retracted, followed by a similar protrusion from another portion 

 of its substance (Fig. lix, 1), or two or more may be seen at the same time (2). 

 The granular and minutely molecular matter did not enter into these saccules, and 



