PART I.] Principal Points of Interest in these Observations. 73 



It is not devoid of interest to remark that the use of immersion objectives involves 

 a disadvantageous depression of temperature, due to evaporation of the film of water, 

 which is placed between the lens and the covering-glass. The prolonged use of such 

 a lens has frequently appeared in this way to check the activity of the bioplasts in 

 the blood. 



One of the most important points determined by these observations is the fact, 

 that the blood in cholera is, as an almost invariable rule, free from bacteria, either 

 actual or potential. This is the case as well shortly after death as during life, and. 

 holds in regard to every stage of the disease. In one or two cases, a slight develop- 

 ment of distinct bacteria has occurred during the course of observation, but this is 

 no more than may occur in the most healthy specimens of blood, and the idea that 

 bacteria are normally present in the blood in cholera may be finally dismissed. It is 

 not improbable that certain of the appearances observed in series of observations, such 

 as those described above, may afford a clue to the origin of such an idea. At an 

 early stage when the bioplasts are of great fluidity and tenuity, monad-like granules, 

 contained in and moving with them, may be supposed to be free and endowed with 

 independent motion, but this will be found, on prolonged observation, not to be the 

 case, and as the density of the bioplasts increases the true relations of the granules 

 will appear. At a much later stage, namely, at that of escape of the contents of the 

 cells, patches of molecular matter and scattered granules may result; and finally, 

 when general disintegration of the bioplasts occurs, large sheets and masses of 

 evenly molecular matter may occupy much of the preparation, but these granules, 

 micrococcoid patches and molecular flakes, are no new developments, but are clearly 

 traceable to mere disintegrative changes in bodies previously present. 



The molecular matter so produced, be it scattered or aggregated, undergoes no 

 further development, and shows no motion or any other indication of vitality. The 

 term bacteria is often very vaguely and loosely employed, but it is, under no pretext, 

 applicable to mere dead particles due to simple disintegration. 



As regards bacteria, so it is in regard to the presence of fungal elements as a 

 normal and constant characteristic of the blood in cholera. There is absolutely no- 

 thing in favour of any such view ; there is absolutely no evidence of the existence of 

 fungal elements in the blood whilst in the body, and only very rare and clearly 

 accidental development of such bodies after its removal from it. These questions, 

 however, will be more fully referred to in a succeeding section (page 78). 



Possibly the most important result to be derived from observations on the 

 blood in cholera, conducted in the manner described above, is the explanation which 

 they are capable of afifording of the nature of the bioplastic bodies and cells so 

 abundant in, and so characteristic of, evacuations passed during the course of the 

 disease. We have previously pointed out that such evacuations frequently contain 

 evidences of the escape of blood into the intestines, either by the presence of 

 red corpuscles in greater or less abundance, and occasionally included within the 



