LEPROSY. 121 



krons in length, non-motile, resembling very much the tubercle 

 bacillus, but are more uniform in length and not so frequently 

 bent. When stained, their protoplasm shows unstained spaces 

 similar to those of the tubercle bacillus, which are regarded 

 by some as spores. 



Biology. Bordoni-Uffreduzzi claims to have cultivated the 

 bacillus through a number of generations in glycerinized gela- 

 tin. Byron (Researches Loomis Laboratory, 1892) made a 

 pure culture of the bacillus on agar. 



From the secretions and scrapings obtained from an ulcer 

 of the nares in a leper the author found upon examination a 

 great many bacilli lying in cells, some cells containing as 

 many as 3 or 4 bunches, and was able to procure a pure 

 culture on Loeffler's blood-serum and glycerin-agar. 



The growth upon the serum very much resembled a twisted 

 band of yellowish-gray color, and developed very rapidly at 

 37 C. Cultures in bouillon and potato did not develop. 



The Bacillus leprce stains very readily with the anilin dyes, 

 and also by Gram's method. It very greatly resembles the 

 tubercle bacillus in retaining its color when subsequently 

 treated with strong solutions of mineral acids. 



An interesting point about the staining of the Bacillus 

 leprce which will permit differentiation from the Bacillus tuber- 

 culosis is that the lepra bacillus is rapidly stained by the 

 Gram method, while the tubercle bacillus stains with great 

 difficulty by it, and must remain at least twenty-four hours 

 in the color dish before taking the stain. 



Baumgarten's differentiation between these two bacteria is 

 to subject cover-glass preparations which have been smeared 

 with scrapings from leprous nodules or ulcers for five minutes 

 in the Ehrlich solution, and afterward to decolorize with solu- 

 tion of nitric acid in alcohol, 1 part of acid to 10 parts of 

 alcohol. The bacillus of Hansen will be stained, while the 

 tubercle bacillus will not. 



A number of investigators have by inoculation with fresh 

 extirpated leprous tissue succeeded in reproduei^gthe disease 

 in the lower animals. Tedeschi inoculated a monkey under 

 the dura mater, and death resulted in six days. Many lepra 



