xiii] MICROBES OF MALIGNANT ANTHRAX 303 



" cocco diphtheria." The streptococci are at least of two 

 kinds : the same as are occasionally also found as compli- 

 cating severe cases of true faucial diphtheria. Non- 

 diphtheritic membranous exudations of the fauces are 

 brittle and composed of leucocytes, whereas the diphtheritic 

 membrane is tough, coherent and poor in leucocytes, con- 

 taining principally the above-mentioned reticulated mass. 



In some epidemic sore throats thrush fungus or saccharo- 

 myces is present in large numbers. 



As a further result of recent investigations it is admitted 

 that the true diphtheria bacilli occur in the fauces of per- 

 sons who, themselves free of diphtheria, have however been 

 in contact with diphtheria cases, and further that, even weeks 

 after in a diphtheria case recovery had taken place, the 

 mucous membrane of the fauces may still harbour true diph- 

 theria bacilli. In the majority of cases of faucial diphtheria, 

 however, the bacilli disappear two or three weeks, or even 

 earlier, after the mucous membrane had assumed its normal 

 condition. 



The bacillus of diphtheria isolated by LofBer forms 

 colonies of definite characters on serum and Agar plates 

 kept at 35-37° C: round white colonies, thickest in the 

 middle and gradually assuming here a yellowish-brown tint. 

 According to Loffler it does not grow on gelatine, but the 

 writer has shown that abundance of growth takes place on 

 gelatine at 20-21° C. ; on potato it shows no visible growth. 

 Loflfler found this particular bacillus in a large percentage, 

 but not in all, of the diphtheritic membranes ; Kolisko and 

 Paltauf, Roux and Yersin, Zarniko and Escherich, found 

 this microbe in all cases of diphtheria, and owing to its 

 pecuHar pathogenic action (see later) they definitely re- 

 garded it as the microbe of diphtheria. The writer has 

 shown that there occur occasionally in diphtheritic mem- 



