160 PHYSIOLOGY OF THE BACTERIA. 



bon) demonstrated thus that the disease was truly 

 due to the solid particles ; but he could not, as he 

 did, affirm that the bacteria alone were endowed 

 with virulent power, for he included at the same 

 time all the other solid elements (fibrine, globules), 

 and could not therefore eliminate the granulations 

 of a virus other than the bacteria. Klebs does not 

 believe that the bacteria cause death by asphyxia. 

 This view is also sustained by Recklinghausen and 

 Waldeyer, who believe that death results from 

 embolism : according to Burdon-Sanderson, on the 

 contrary, this is not the case. 



The observations and experiments up to this 

 time demonstrated that the blood of charbon would 

 transmit the disease. Davaine had said that the 

 bacteria constituted the condition sine qua non of 

 the development of these diseases, but he had 

 against him the experiments of Leplat and Jail- 

 lard. Besides, as he injected at the same time 

 other corpuscles figurees, it was difficult to prove 

 that they went for nothing in the production of 

 charbon. Finally, this theory could not explain 

 certain endemics (pastures in Auvergne). One 

 could truly say, with Burden-Sanderson, that the 

 virulent element can exist in two forms, — one 

 fugitive (bacteria), one permanent, unknown. The 

 point was to demonstrate it. This is what Koch 

 has done. Having taken some bacteria, he culti- 

 vated them in urine, or the aqueous humor of the 

 eye of a horse, and remarked that they under- 

 went a certain elongation, then presented brilliant 

 points of condensation which became free; injected 



