PATHOGENIC. BACTERIA. 307 



may produce pseudomembranous inflammation* and also 

 ordinary suppuration, although not very commonly. It seems 

 also capable of producing ordinary "cold," f acute catarrh. 



Pacchioni J found the organism in pus from an inflamed 

 knee-joint following, measles with bronchopneumonia and 

 pleurisy as sequellae. Furrer § also reports a case of pneu- 

 mococcus arthritis. 



G. and F. Klemperer claim to have obtained toxins from 

 cultures of the pneumococcus, and to have estabhshed im- 

 munity in animals with the development in the blood of anti- 

 toxic substances. Similar attempts have been made by Wash- 

 bourn and others, but the interpretation of their results at the 

 present time is not clear. The agglutination reaction has been 

 claimed to occur with the pneumococcus, but it does not yet ap- 

 pear to have any practical value in diagnosis. 



In regard to the opsonic index (page 216) Wolf || has this to 

 say: It first decreases, but rises in favorable cases, and attains 

 its height soon after crisis. In unfavorable cases it remains 

 persistently low. 



Organisms related to the pneumococcus have been described 

 under the names of pseudopneumococcusT[ and Streptococcus 

 mucosus.** 



The organism named by Rosenbach Micrococcus pyogenes 

 tenuis is probably only a variety of the pneumococcus. 



Micrococcus Melitensis. — A micrococcus found by Bruce 

 in cases of Malta or Mediterranean fever. It is a round or 

 slightly oval organism, about 0.5 /'in diameter, occurring 

 singly, in pairs or in short chains. It is usually said to be non- 



* Gary and Lyon. American Journal Medical Sciences. Vol. CXXII. 

 '\'B.iss. Journ. Expr. Med. Vol. VII., 1905. p. 578. 

 %Riv. di Clin. Pedialr. July, 1903. 

 Sf Arch, lor Pediatrics. July, 1907. 



'\\Journ. Infectious Diseases. Vol. III., 1906. pp. 731-741. 

 ^Richardson. Journal Boston Society of Medical Sciences. Vol. V., 1901. 

 ** Howard. Journal Medical Research. Vol. VI., 1901. H. S. Journ. 

 Exper. Medicine. VII., 1905. p. S47- Buerger eie». p. 497- 



