376 MICRO-ORGANISMS AND DISEASE [chap. 



in the blood is comparatively small immediately after death, 

 but they soon multiply therein and if the examination of the 

 blood (heart's blood) is delayed, the bacilli may be found 

 present in considerable numbers. The bacilli do not stain 

 after Gram. The size of the short bacilli is 2-3-5 n in length, 

 and I /x in thickness ; their ends are more or less rounded. 

 If the flagella are stained, it is seen that the bacilli possess 

 several (4-5) flagella attached laterally near the ends of the 

 bacillus. Many bacilli are in the form of chains and filaments. 

 The cedematous fluid, and the blood, inoculated into fresh 

 guinea-pigs produce the fatal disease. 



Rabbits are also very susceptible to the disease ; and at 

 the seat of inoculation oedema is produced. Mice are very 

 susceptible, and die before the end of the first day, but no 

 oedema is present at the seat of inoculation. All the viscera 

 are congested, and the spleen is enlarged ; the blood of the 

 spleen, the exudation of the peritoneum, and the pleura, 

 contain the bacilli. A sure diagnosis, and differentiation 

 from anthrax bacilli, to which the oedema bacilli bear a 

 certain likeness, can with certainty be made by cultures. 



The cultural characters of this bacillus show that it is 

 altogether different from that of bacillus anthracis ; although 

 in size and general aspect in the fresh state, and in stained 

 cover-glass specimens, it is not unlike, in its action on 

 animals, in the condition of the spleen of the inoculated 

 animals, and in its small numbers in the blood of these 

 it is quite different from bacillus anthracis. When culti- 

 vated it shows the following characters : The cedema 

 bacillus is anaerobic, since it does not show growth on 

 the surface of nutritive media ; it grows only when planted 

 in the depth ; in grape sugar gelatine (in the depth) it 

 forms characteristic globular colonies of different sizes, 

 opaque and liquefied, their margin more opaque than the 

 centre and finely striated. The growth and liquefaction 



