TETANUS. 117 



able to find the bacillus of Nicolaier, and Wyssokow- 

 ITSCH has examined an earth which did not induce tetanus, 

 but which caused suppuration, and in the pus the Nico- 

 LAIER bacillus was found to be abundant. With the pus 

 obtained from three cases of tetanus neonatorum due to 

 omphalitis Kischensky induced tetanus in animals. The 

 pus contained pyogenetic micrococci and a short bacillus, 

 but the germ of Nicolaier could not be detected. 



Although KiTT claims that his tetanus bacillus is iden- 

 tical with that of Kitasato (which is now regarded as a 

 pure culture of the germ of Nicolaier), the former lique- 

 fies solid blood-serum and the latter does not. Bacteriolo- 

 gists generally agree that the Nicolaier bacillus is found 

 only at the place of inoculation and that it is never present 

 in the blood or internal organs, yet Shakespeare, as we 

 have seen, induced tetanus in rabbits by inoculating them 

 with matter taken from the medulla of a horse and that of 

 a mule, both of which had died of tetanus. The bacillus 

 which has been so well studied by TizzoNi and Cattani 

 has certain constant biological differences from that of 

 Kitasato. 



Pla has studied eight cases of traumatic tetanus both by 

 cultures and by inoculation of animals. In none has he 

 found the germ of Nicolaier. Moreover, since tetanus 

 was induced in animals by bits of matter taken from the 

 spinal cord, the Nicolaier germ could not have been the 

 cause, if, as bacteriologists now teach, this germ is never 

 found save at the place of inoculation. 



Brieger has obtained in the mixed cultures of the germ 

 of Nicolaier and Eosenbach four poisonous substances. 

 The first, tetanine, which rapidly decomposes in acid solu- 

 tions, but is stable in alkaline solutions,- produces tetanus 

 in mice when injected in quantities of only a few milli- 

 grammes. The second, tetanotoxine, produces first tremor, 

 then paralysis followed by severe convulsions. The third, 

 to which no name has been given, causes tetanus accom- 

 panied by free flow of the saliva and tears. The fourth, 

 spasmotoxine, induces heavy clonic and tonic convulsions. 



Bkieger has also isolated tetanine from the amputated 



6* 



