THE MICROBES OF HUMAN DISEASES. 229 
XII. Tae MIcrospe oF PNEUMONIA. 
One of the most important micrographic dis- 
coveries of late years is that a microbe is always 
present in inflammation of the lungs, or pneumonia. 
This disease was long considered, and is still con- 
sidered by the majority of doctors, to be altogether 
independent of any parasitic infection. It is such 
a matter of tradition, both among patients and their 
doctors, to ascribe this disease to accidental causes, 
and especially to a sudden chill, that the parasitic 
doctrine of pneumonia at once encountered a lively 
Fig. 93,—Micrococci in sputum of pneumonia: 28, d, free, or encysted in the lymphatic 
cells a, c; ”, nuclei of cells (much enlarged). 
opposition. It is, however, now impossible to deny 
the important part taken by microbes in the trans- 
mission of this disease. 
The microbe of pneumonia was discovered by 
Friedlander and Talamon in 1882. It consists of 
micrococci, often associated in an 8 or in short chains 
(Fig. 93), and found in the sputum and lungs of 
pneumonic patients, either detached or encysted in the 
lymphatic cells. 
