CONJUNCTIVITIS 557 



with a large Gram-positive bacillus (unisolated). Daniels suggested 

 that the epidemiology of the disease is best explained on the hypo- 

 thesis of a protozoan infection conveyed by lice. The writer and 

 De Korte * also suggest a protozoan infection, the organism perhaps 

 being eliminated in the urine. 



Other views are that beri-beri may be a peripheral neuritis due 

 to arsenical poisoning, or that it is caused by the absence of certain 

 nutritive elements from polished rice. The evidence in favour of 

 the latter view seems to be accumulating, and it has been found 

 that essential nutritive constituents (vitamines ?) are present in the 

 husk of rice which is removed in polishing. 



BRONCHITIS. Ritchie 2 concludes that acute bronchitis is an 

 infective disease, but is not due to any one specific organism, the 

 most important causal bacteria being the S. pneumonice and strep- 

 tococci. In every case of acute bronchitis numerous pathogenic 

 bacteria are present in the bronchi, which are usually sterile in 

 health. The commonest organisms are B. pneumonice, B. influenzce, 

 and M. catarrhalis. Spirochaetes are present in some forms of 

 tropical bronchitis ; in others Castellani has described oidium- 

 like and yeast-like organisms. 



CHANCRE, SOFT. An extremely small bacillus, first described 

 by Ducrey, 3 has been found in the ulcers and buboes. It has not 

 been inoculated successfully on animals, but can be inoculated 

 from a chancre, experimentally, from man to man. The bacillus 

 does not stain by Gram's method, and can be cultivated on blood 

 agar, on which it forms shining greyish colonies 1 mm. in diameter, 

 or in guinea-pig blood. 4 



CONJUNCTIVITIS. Conjunctivitis is of several varieties: 



(a) Acute contagious conjunctivitis, due to the Koch-Weeks 

 bacillus. This is a slender, non-motile organism, 1-1-5 ^ in length, 

 occurring singly or in pairs, both free and within the pus-cells. 

 It is decolorised by Gram's method, and is difficult to cultivate, 

 growing best on a serum-agar mixture, on which it forms small, 

 punctiform transparent colonies. It is hardly pathogenic to 

 animals, but in man sets up a typical acute conjunctivitis. 



(6) Chronic catarrhal conjunctivitis, due to the Morax-Axenfeld 

 diplo-bacillus. This organism is 2 /j, long by 1 /M broad, is not 

 stained by Gram's method, and can be cultivated on blood-serum 

 which is liquefied, or serum agar. 



1 Journ. Trop. Med., October 1, 1907, p. 315. 



2 Journ. Path, and Bact., vol. vii, No. 1, p. 1. 



3 Comp. Rend. Congres Internal, de Dermatologie (Paris, 1889), p. 229. 



4 Himmel, Ann. de Vlnst. Pasteur, xv, 1901, p. 928. 



