SUPPURATION. 89 



Ribbert^ in his experiments on the intravenous injection of both 

 sterilized and unsterilized cultures of the staphylococcus in rabbits 

 observed changes in the kidneys, heart, lungs, spleen, and bone mar- 

 row, which he attributed to the action of the toxin, because they 

 were found after the injection of sterilized as well as after the use of 

 living cultures. These changes were characterized by the presence 

 of infarcts and abscesses. Neisser and Wechsberg observed certain 

 pathological conditions in the kidneys of animals which they rendered 

 immune to staphylotoxin by intravenous injections. Concerning 

 these kidney lesions they make the following statement : They are 

 located in the cortex ; neither the parenchyma nor the papillae are 

 involved. In the cortex one readily distinguishes three zones, which, 

 proceeding from the periphery towards the center, are as follows : (1) 

 A circular, irregular zone in which the tubuli contorti are for the most 

 part destroyed and the peritubular spaces are filled with fragments 

 of broken-down leucocytes. (2) An intermediate zone in which the 

 leucocytic reaction is less marked, but in which necrosis of the epi- 

 thelium is plainly evident. Only a small part of the epithelium of 

 the tubuli contorti possess nuclei and even these show evidence of 

 cell disintegration. The greater part of the cells are without nuclei 

 and are in a state of coagulation necrosis. The uriniferous tubules 

 contain hyaline casts and fragments of broken-down leucocytes. In 

 this zone the glomeruli are markedly altered. One observes all 

 changes from simple hyperemia to complete necrosis in which there is 

 no sign of a glomerulus left except a structureless capsule. (3) The 

 third zone, like the first, is rich in broken-down leucocytes, espe- 

 cially in the peritubular spaces. While a part of the blood vessels 

 are still patent, others are filled with thrombi consisting of fibrin and 

 broken-down leucocytes. These authors were unable experimentally 

 to demonstrate that these changes in the kidney are directly due to 

 the staphylotoxin and they have provisionally named the poison 

 which induces these lesions " nephrotoxin." They conclude that the 

 hemolysin and the leukocidin of the staphylococcus are two different 

 poisons. 



The action of sterilized cultures of the gonococcus has been studied 

 by Christmas,* Nikolaysen,' and Wassermann.* It has been found 

 that cultures in which the microorganism has been destroyed by heat 

 are as virulent to the lower animals as are living cultures. Further- 

 more, it has been demonstrated that the gonotoxin is contained within 

 the cell of the microorganism. If a culture two days old be filtered 

 through porcelain and the filtrate be injected into mice, but little or 

 no effect results ; while if a culture from two to three weeks old be 



■ Die pathologische Anatomie und die Heilung der darch den Staphjlococoug 

 pyogenes aureus heryorgerufenen Erkrankungen. 

 ^Annales de tlnstUut Pasteur, 1897. 

 ' Oenlralblatt f. Bakterioh^, 1897. 

 * ZeUscMfi f. Hycfiene, 1898, 27. 



