THE BACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS 423 



that was constantly to be found in the nodules, characteristic 

 of leprosy. For this organism the name bacillits lepra was 

 suggested. Though very like bacterium tuberculosis in 

 both morphology and staining properties, it is, however, 

 a little shorter, thicker, and much less homogeneously 

 stained. Its presence in the tissues and secretions is demon- 

 strated by the same method as that employed for detecting 

 bacillus tuberculosis. In secretions of leprous nodules, 

 stained by the ordinary Koch-Ehrlich process, the bacilli, 

 crowded together in the large so-called "lepra cells," are 

 always to be seen in great abundance. Numerous efforts 

 to cultivate bacillus leprae from the diseased tissues and to 

 reproduce the disease by inoculation have led to little more 

 than a mass of confusing results. It is possible that a recent 

 observation of Johnston'^ may assist in clearing away some 

 at least of the confusion. Johnston believes the acid-proof, 

 so-called bacilli, seen in the lepra cells to be developmental 

 phases of a streptothrix which is itself not acid proof. His 

 opinion appears to be justified by the results of carefully 

 made culture and inoculation studies.^ 



Bacterium Smegmatts. — In 1885 Alvarez and Tavel 

 discovered in the fatty secretions about the genitalia an 

 organism that suggested the bacterium of tuberculosis. 

 Their observation has been abundantly confirmed by others, 

 and the organism to which they directed attention is now 

 regarded as pretty commonly present in the smegma. It 

 is known, therefore, as the smegma bacterium (bacterium 

 smegmatis). In this secretion it is found in clumps located 

 upon or within epithelial cells. It stains by the method 



1 Philippine Journal of Science, June, 1914, vol. ix, No. 3, Section B, 

 Tropical Medicine, p. 227. 



2 For a general diacussion on this ubject, together with literary references 

 see Wolbach and Honeij, Journal of Medical Research, 1914, xxix, 367. 



