86 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 



Now, the exciting and predisposing causes of the 

 invasion of any tissue may be many, but in the lungs it 

 appears most often to be a catarrh, that is, a congestion of 

 the blood vessels accompanied bj^ a pouring out of fluid and 

 white blood corpuscles into the air vesicles, together with a 

 proliferation of the delicate layer of cells, which forms the 

 lining of these vesicles. 



This accumalation of catarrhal products and subsequent 

 entrance of bacilli into it usually takes place in those portions 

 of the lung where there is deficient expansion and contraction, 

 etc., the apex of the lung in adults, at the root of the lung in 

 children, beneath any areas of the lung where there is 

 adhesion between the parietal and visceral pleura; in fact in 

 all situations where deficient movement allows the bacilli to 

 remain, they multiply, produce their poisonous toxins which 

 act on the tissues causing degenerative changes, which 

 changes lay the foundation for the subsequent tuberculosis. 



Now then, taking it for granted that the organism has 

 found a suitable habitat for itself and has effected a 

 permanent lodgement, it becomes clearly evident that, from 

 this point of selection, unless something is undertaken by the 

 system in order to accomplish their eviction, they are in a 

 position to be distributed still by the respiratory passages to 

 every portion of the lung, there to multiply, to produce 

 similar results from their presence as in the first case, and to 

 so overpower the patient that in the end we have set up a 

 tuberculous catarrhal pneumonia, or in every day language a 

 galloping co?isum.ption. 



Not every case of infection by the air passages terminates 

 in this manner. We have omitted to describe the results 

 which were brought about in those cases where the natural 

 resistance of the tissues to invasion by outside agencies 

 inimical to its preservation are called into play. Every 

 student of morbid anatomy, who has had any considerable 

 experience in post mortem work, knows that in the lungs of 

 old people, who have died from diseases, allied in origin in 

 no way to tuberculosis, not seldom, and in fact, very, very 



