78 CLEGG. 



made from a case autopsied by Dr. Teague of this Laboratory. The 

 spleen was removed aseptically and was found to contain enormous num- 

 bers of leprosy bacilli. The plates were smeared with portions of the 

 spleen as described above and incubated for six days at a temperature of 

 37° C. jVlicroscopical preparations were then made from the cultures, and 

 stained with hot carbol fuchsin solution, decolorized and counterstained 

 by Gabett's method. A great number of leprosy bacilli were found to l)e 

 present together with short, plump, acid-fast bacilli occurring mostly 

 among tlie clumps of the leprosy bacilli and associated closely with the 

 amcebje. Those organisms which from their morphology were evidently 

 leprosy bacilli were undoubtedly carried over from the original source, that 

 is from the spleen. Transplants from these plates were immediately 

 made on fresh plates containing amoebaj and their symbiotic organisms, 

 and incubated for two days at the same temperature. Slides were then 

 prepared from this series of cultures and stained in the same manner. 

 Microscopical examination showed that the short, plump acid-fast l)acilli 

 Jiad increased in number, showing conclusively that the organism was 

 multiplying. Control plates made at the same time, with the same 

 amoeba? and in the same manner, except without the material from the 

 leper's spleen showed no acid-fast organisms. 



An attempt was made to cultivate the leprosy bacillus from a second 

 fatal case of leprosy upon which the autopsy was performed by myself. 

 The lungs contained tubercular cavities though there was no evidence of 

 tuberculosis elsewhere. The spleen was removed aseptically and smears 

 from it showed a fair number of leprosy bacilli. Inoculations were made 

 from this spleen in the same manner as in the first case, the same 

 strain of amoeba? being employed witli similar controls. Microscopical 

 preparations made four days after incubation of the culture showed a 

 short, plump acid-fast bacillus identical in morphology to the organism 

 found in the first case, together with clumps of the original leprosy 

 bacilli inoculated from the spleen. The controls were all negative for 

 acid-fast organisms and remained free from them. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



In the cultures from both of these cases an acid-fast bacillus is growing 

 and multiplying which although it differs from the leprosy bacillus in 

 morphology nevertheless may be that organism as we know nothing 

 regarding the morphology of Bacillus lepra; on artificial media. 



Obviously it is advisable to consider in detail the sources of error in 

 these experiments: First, that of air contamination; this is hardly 

 probable and I think can be excluded. Second, that of an acid-fast 

 bacillus growing originally with the amoebfe. If such were the case the 

 control plates should also show the presence of such an organism, whereas 

 this has not been the case and there is no reason to suppose that such 

 an organism may have been overlooked in the control plates when it was 

 so plentiful in the plates inoculated from the leper's spleen. Third, the 



