144 STRONG AND TEAGUE. 



No cough. Result after twenty-four hours: No colonies. After forty- 

 eight hours: Sixteen colonies made up of moulds and yellow colonies. 

 Two small white colonies which possibly might be colonies of the plague 

 bacillus planted on agar slants. One of theses a coccus, the other = a 

 bacillus which decolorizes by Gram. Growth on agar develops a deep 

 yellow pigment; evidently not plague. 



Plate B exposed for two minutes at a distance of 5 centimeters. No 

 coughing. Result after seventy-two hours: Four colonies; 1 very large 

 yellow, 1 small yellow, and 2 small white colonies. The white colonies 

 are planted on agar. They are composed of a bacillus which partially 

 decolorizes by Gram's stain. These cultures were later inoculated into 

 guinea pigs Nos. 5320, 5470, and 5473 by the cutaneous method, all of 

 which remained healthy. 



Case 3. — Much sputum; temperature 40° C. Plate exposed for two 

 minutes at a distance of 11 centimeters from the mouth. No coughing. 

 Result after forty-eight hours: Twenty-two colonies, none of which re- 

 semble colonies of the plague bacillus. In growth on agar slants, mor- 

 phology, and staining reaction, the organisms comprising a number of 

 these colonies all differ essentially from the plague bacillus. 



Case U- — Advanced case with marked dyspnoea and pulmonary oedema. 

 Coughed slightly during exposure of plate. Plate exposed for two minutes 

 at a distance of 15 centimeters from the mouth. Result after twenty-four 

 hours: Eleven colonies have developed, 3 or 4 of which might possibly 

 be colonies of the plague bacillus. After seventy-two hours about 40 

 colonies have developed. Only about 6 of these could possibly be colonies 

 of the plague bacillus. These were planted on agar slants. Four of 

 these organisms proved to be cocci and 2 bacilli, which partially decolorized 

 by Gram's stain. Cultures of the 2 bacilli were later inoculated by the 

 cutaneous method into guinea pigs Nos. 5312 and 5465, both of which 

 remained healthy. 



Case 5. — Advanced case with much bloody sputum. 



Plate A exposed for two minutes at a distance of 11 centimeters. 

 Patient talked slightly during time of exposure. Result after forty-eight 

 hours: One large and 12 pin-point-sized colonies. Microscopical exam- 

 ination shows these to be composed of a bacillus that does not decolorize 

 by Gram's stain. Growth on agar too delicate for plague. 



No. 6. — Plate 1 exposed horizontally in a plague ward containing 3 

 cases of plague for ten minutes. Patient coughing about 1 meter away 

 from the plate. Result after twenty -four hours: Six colonies and 1 small 

 group of colonies. After forty-eight hours, the whole surface of plate 

 overgrown with a heavy growth. Impossible to identify colonies. Plate, 

 therefore, discarded. 



No. 7. — Plate 1 exposed in same ward containing 3 persons with pneu- 

 monic plague. Plate exposed for twelve minutes at a distance of about 

 2 meters from advanced case of plague. Patient coughed a number of 

 times during exposure. Head turned in direction of plate. Result after 

 forty-eight hours: Fifteen colonies and a thick surface growth covering 

 almost the entire surface of the plate. The whole of this plate was 

 suspended in a little saline solution and several oesen of this suspension 

 rubbed over the shaved and scarified abdomen of guinea pig No. 6. This 

 animal died five days later of plague infection with typical inguinal buboes 

 and plague spleen. 



