232 GONORKHOEA, SOFT SORE, SYPHILIS 



in sections of the organs by the method described on p. 104. In 

 such preparations large numbers of spirochaetes, chiefly extra- 

 vascular in position, can be seen, and many may occur in the 

 interior of the more highly specialised cells, for example, liver- 

 cells ; in many cases examination has been made within so short 

 a period after the death of the child as to practically exclude the 

 possibility of contamination from without. It also abounds 

 sometimes on mucous surfaces, e.g. of the bladder and intestine 

 in cases of congenital syphilis. Shortly after the discovery of 

 the organism, Metchnikoff was able to detect it in the lesions 

 produced in monkeys by inoculation with material derived from 

 syphilitic sores, and his observations have since been confirmed. 

 Although various organisms may be associated with it in the 

 lesions of the skin or mucous membranes, there is a comparative 

 agreement amongst observers that this organism occurs alone in 

 syphilitic lesions where the entrance of bacteria, etc., from outside 

 is excluded. The high percentage of cases in which it is found 

 would, in view of the difficulty in detecting it, almost point to 

 its invariable presence, and, as a matter of fact, Schaudinn in 

 his last series of cases, numbering over seventy, found it in all. 

 In gummata and other tertiary lesions, however, the spirochaete 

 has rarely, if ever, been detected, and it is probable, as Schaudinn 

 suggests, that it has passed into some resting condition which 

 has not yet been found. Another question of considerable 

 importance is, as to whether this organism has been found in 

 other conditions. Observations show that in various conditions, 

 such as ulcerated carcinomata, balanitis, etc., spirochsetes are of 

 comparatively common occurrence. There is no doubt what- 

 ever that the great majority of these are readily distinguishable 

 by their appearance from the spirochaete pallida, but others 

 resemble it closely. Hoffmann, however, who has seen many of 

 these spirochsetes from other sources, considers that even by 

 their microscopic appearance they are capable of being dis- 

 tinguished, though with considerable difficulty. It must, of 

 course, be borne in mind that the finding of an organism in 

 non-syphilitic lesions with exactly the same microscopical char- 

 acters does not show that it is the same organism as the spiro- 

 chaete pallida. It cannot be claimed that the pathological 

 relation of this organism to the disease is absolutely demon- 

 strated ; but the facts stated are sufficient to form very strong 

 presumptive evidence that in the spirochaete pallida we have 

 the true cause of syphilis. 



Transmission of the Disease to Animals. Although 

 various experiments had previously been from time to time 



