1 54 BACTERIA. 



almost invariably, in the stools of patients during the earlier 

 stages of the disease, in the contents of the lower bowel and in 

 the mucous membrane of the lower part of the small intestine. 

 In fatal cases Drs. Straus and Roux thought that they 

 could also see certain organisms in the blood of cholera 

 patients, but they were unable to repeat their observations. 

 Emmerich also described a bacillus which he said he fouiid 

 constantly in the blood, organs, and intestinal contents in 

 cases of cholera. This organism was, however, according to 

 Fliigge, probably a common inhabitant of the intestine, the 

 Bacterium Coli Communis, and it is now a generally ac- 

 cepted fact that nowhere, except in the alimentary canal, 

 have the comma bacilli been found in ordinary cases of 

 cholera ; as the blood, the liver, the spleen, and other 

 organs have all been carefully examined, and in no case, 

 in which no fallacy crept in, could positive results be ob- 

 tained, 



The best method yet described of demonstrating the cholera bacillus in the 

 discharges is that recommended by Cornil and Babes, who spread out one 

 of the small white mucous fragments on a microscope slide, and then allow 

 it to dry partially ; a small quantity of an exceedingly weak solution of methyl 

 violet in distilled water is then flowed over it, and it is flattened out by 

 pressing down on it a cover glass, over which is placed a fragment of filter ■ 

 paper, which absorbs any excess of fluid at the margin of the cover glass. 

 Comma bacilli so prepared and examined with an oil-immersion lens 

 ( X 700 or X 800) may then be seen ; their characters are the more readily 

 made out because of the slight stain they take up, and because they still 

 retain their power of vigorous movement, which would be entirely lost if 

 the specimen were drie^, stained, and mounted in the ordinary fashion. 



The bacilli retain their curved shape and " rounded " 

 extremities (which, however, may be either slightly pointed 

 or thickened), but they seem to be somewhat larger when 

 thus prepared than when completely dried. During the 

 very early stages of the disease, and when the period of 

 reaction is setting in, it is sometimes an exceedingly difficult 

 matter to demonstrate the presence of the cholera organism 

 in the dejecta, and several methods have been tried with 

 greater or less success to obtain such a demonstration. Of 

 these the plan described by Schottelius is found to be one of 

 the most useful, especially in the later stages of the disease, 

 where although the number of cholera bacilli may be com- 

 paratively small, other bacteria are found, often in con- 

 siderable numbers, in the intestinal contents. 



