322 MICRO-ORGANISMS AND DISEASE [chap. 



Von Emmerich isolated short thick rods from diphtheritic membranes, 

 with which he produced a fatal disease in pigeons, rabbits, and mice. 

 He found that, inoculated into the mucous membrane of the trachea of 

 rabbits, the microbe produces death in sixty hours, with grey fibrinous 

 membranes on the mucous membrane ; the bacilli are present in the 

 mucous membrane, blood, and viscera. 



Loffler ^ showed that the so-called diphtheritic deposits in the mucous 

 membrane of the fauces, larynx, and conjunctiva of fowls and pigeons is 

 hot the same as human diphtheria ; in the pigeon it is different from 

 that of fowls, while in the former it is caused by minute bacilli, thinner 

 and a little longer than those of rabbit's septicsemia (Davaine, Koch) ; 

 he also showed that the so-called diphtheria of calves is not the same as 

 human diphtheria, since it is caused by long bacillary threads. Lingard 

 and Batt have found previously the same bacilli in the necrotic masses 

 in the mouth in calves ; they have described the disease as a chronic 

 ulcerative necrotic stomatitis. Dr. Lingard has shown that it is trans- 

 missible to the rabbit's ear, wherein the characteristic bacilli produce 

 the same chronic necrotic ulcerative process. 



As to the necrotic deposits in the fauces and mouth of fowls, not at 

 all rare amongst poultry, and regarded by some as identical with human 

 diphtheria, Loffler has already pointed out that it is different from the 

 similar disease in the pigeon ; it certainly is not due to the same bacteria 

 as those shown by Loffler to be the cause of the pigeon's disease. The 

 writer has cultivated from the caseous yellow-white deposits in the 

 pharynx and mouth of such a fowl an organism which was present in 

 almost pure culture. The yellow-white deposits are dry and brittle, 

 and are made up of epithelial cells and debris. There are present various 

 species of microbes in the, superficial layers ; but in the deeper parts was 

 present predominantly one species of minute more or less constricted 

 rods, of the same size as those of fowl cholera, but differing from these 

 latter by the fact that on potato they form rapidly a characteristic deep 

 yellow growth ; on gelatine they form already after twenty-four to forty- 

 eigSt hours white, round, prominent dots, which become more yellowish 

 and project over the surface_like little buttons, and are easily lifted oft 

 bodily ; they are very tenacious, and do not break up when shaken in 

 fluid. 



Bacilli resembling the diphtheria bacilli in some of the morphological 

 characters have been obtained from various materials. Besides the 

 non-pathogenic-pseudo-diphtheria bacillus of Hoffmann, Loffler, Klein, 



^ Mittheil aus dem k. Gesundh. , vol. ii. 



