126 The Farmer's Veterinary Adviser. 



in different parts of the body, these micro-organisms are 

 constantly found in such parts. Why all suppurations do 

 not produce tliis general infection is not well understood, 

 but there is doubtless a varying power of resistance in dif- 

 ferent subjects, and a vaiying potency of the alkaloids and 

 other poisons produced by the bacteria under slightly dif- 

 ferent conditions of life. The frequent formation of ab- 

 scesses filled with these micro-organisms in the deepest and 

 most solid tissues of the body, is evidence enough that they 

 may exist in an apparently healthy system and only operate 

 for serious evil under certain conditions of local or general 

 debility. The poison acquires greater potency when gi'own 

 in the body apai't from air, as in the generative passages 

 after parturition, etc. 



There are various micro-organisms in tlie different forms 

 of suppuration, all of a spherical form, though one is ar- 

 ranged in form of a chain. 



Kranzfeld, who has experimented largely on the subject, 

 describes, first, those found in groups — Staphylococcus Pyo- 

 genes (aureus, albus, and citreus), and second, the chain form. 

 Streptococcus Pyogenes. The swelling and suppuration 

 caused by the jhrst-namedi type tend to appear in the seat 

 of injury, while those due to the second tend to affect 

 the nearest communicating lymphatic glands. Both may 

 cause general infection, the abscesses from the first appear- 

 ing by preference in the internal organs, and those from 

 the second in the joints, marrow of bones (Osteo-myelitis) 

 and serous membranes. 



Symptoms. If following on an external wound, the ac- 

 cess of fever is usually coincident with a drying of the wound 

 and a dark-red, glistening, unhealthy appearance of its sur- 

 face. A chill is constant, and following this the body tem- 

 perature is high and variable, the breath strong or mawkish 

 in odor ; the tongue red, furred ; the teeth covered with in- 

 crustations ; the eye, sunken, hopeless ; there may be diar- 



