526 



'.CJENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XI. No. 275. 



A variety of micro-organisms were sepa- 

 rated. Many of these were well-known 

 species or occurred normally in the situa- 

 tions in which found. Tests with blood 

 sera for agglutination were made and those 

 organisms giving positive reactions were 

 separated for further study. Two groups 

 of bacilli were thus differentiated : (1) 

 Having affinities with the group of bacillus 

 coli communis. The agglutination was 

 variable, being constant and sensitive with 

 the blood-serum of the same individual 

 (host) and inconstant, and active in rela- 

 tively strong solutions only, in serum from 

 other individuals. (2) Having affinities 

 with the group of bacilli of which bacillus 

 typhosus is the type. Agglutination con- 

 stant and sensitive with blood-serum of host 

 as well as the sera of other individuals suffer- 

 ing from dysentery. Inactive with normal 

 serum, serum from cases of typhoid fever, 

 malaria and beri-beri. A bacillus belonging 

 to the second group, which is still under 

 study, would seem to agree with the bacil- 

 lus dysenterise isolated by Shiga from 

 cases of endemic dysentery occurring in 

 Japan. It is regarded by us as an im- 

 portant factor in the causation of the dysen- 

 tery of the Philippine Islands. Experi- 

 ments in immunization of animals and the 

 production of vaccine are in progress. (6) 

 Typhoid fever. The total number of cases 

 of typhoid fever in the hospitals dui-ing 

 May, June and July was far below those of 

 dysentery ; the number of deaths also was 

 less. It was, however, a frequent affection 

 among Americans. The examination of 

 the blood, microscopically and with the 

 Widal test, was of the greatest help in 

 diagnosis. The disease came to autopsy 

 presenting the classical intestinal lesions 

 and also in atypical forms. In the small 

 number of autopsies made upon those dead 

 of this disease, several instances of slight 

 intestinal envolvement or even entire escape 

 were met with. These cases would 'have 



remained very obscure or even undeter- 

 mined except for the "Widal reaction and 

 bacteriological examination. In some in- 

 stances the typhoid bacillus was found 

 widely disseminated throughout the body, 

 the autopsy being made immediately after 

 death, (c) Malarial Fevers. A large pro- 

 portion of the cases sent in from the field 

 and outlying military stations where ex- 

 aminations had to be hastil}^ made as in- 

 stances of ' malaria ' or ' intermittent fever ' 

 turned out to be cases of other diseases 

 (typhoid, dysentery, etc.). A number of 

 true cases of malarial fever were, however, 

 met with, and in the blood of these the 

 characteristic parasites, identical with those 

 occurring in other places in which studies 

 of the blood have been made, were found. 

 No quartan parasites were met with, 

 but cases of quartan affection doubt- 

 less exist. Typical infections with the 

 ' tertian ' and ' sestivo autumnal ' varieties 

 of the parasite were encountered by us, 

 and by microscopists among the Army 

 physicians in the Reserve Hospitals and on 

 the Relief. One of the fatal cases of mfllaria 

 was complicated with acute lobar pneu- 

 monia. The cases of ' calentura perniciosa ' 

 which occur in Mindoro, Mindanao and in 

 certain parts of Luzon should be studied as 

 soon as these regions are accessible. The 

 Archipelago is favorable also for the study 

 of the relation of mosquitos and other in- 

 sects to malarial infection. Some of the 

 malarial cases were undoubtedly recidives, 

 imported from Cuba or elsewhere. A very 

 small number of deaths was referable to 

 malaria. Two instances of acute malarial 

 infection came to us for autopsy. On the 

 other hand, several instances of malarial 

 pigmentation of the organs, in persons dying 

 from other diseases, were encountered. 

 Parasites in the latter cases were absent. 

 These men had, as a rule, been in Cuba or 

 Puerto Rico during the Spanish war. 



(d) Tuberculosis. A number of cases oi 



