MICROCOCCUS CATARRHALIS 385 



female children applying for admission to a hospital, by vaginal 

 smear and, if possible, to keep them in a receiving ward for twenty- 

 four hours in order that the examination may be repeated before 

 admission to the general wards. In the best-equipped institutions, 

 furthermore, separate thermometers, bed linen, and diapers are set 

 aside for each child in order to preclude any possibility of accidental 

 transmission from cases which may have escaped detection by smear 

 examination. 



While inoculation of animals has never resulted in active prolifera- 

 tion of the gonococcus upon the new host, local necrosis, suppuration, 

 and temporary systemic reactions have been produced by subcutaneous 

 and intraperitoneal inoculation. These are probably referable to the 

 endotoxin contained in the bodies of the gonococci. This toxin has been 

 isolated by Nikolaysen ' by extraction from the bacterial bodies with 

 distilled water or sodium hydrate solutions. It was found to be resist- 

 ant to a temperature of 120° and to remain potent after complete drying. 

 The same author found that the isolated toxin and dead cultures were 

 fully as toxic for animals as living cultures, 0.01 gram killing a white 

 mouse. 



Specific injury to the nervous system by injections of gonococcus 

 toxin has been reported by Moltschanoff.^ 



The secretion of a true soluble toxin by the gonococcus, asserted 

 by Christmas,' is denied by Wassermann,^ Nikolaysen,^ and others. 

 The two authors last named, furthermore, do not believe that a general 

 immunity is developed ia subjects infected with gonococcus. Christ- 

 mas " on the other hand, and, more recently, Torrey,' have reported 

 successful active immunization of animals by repeated injections of 

 whole bacteria. Torrey and others apparently have successfully treated 

 human cases by injections of the serum of immunized animals. 



MICROCOCCUS CATARRHALIS 



Micrococcus catarrhalis is a diplococcus described first by R. Pfeiffer,* 

 who found it in the sputum of patients suffering from catarrhal in- 



1 Nikolaysen, Cent. f. Bakt., 1897. 



2 Moltschanoff, Munch, med. Wooh., 1899. 

 2 Christmas, Ann. de I'inst. Pasteur, 1897. 

 ■• Wassermann, Zeit. f. Hyg., xxvii, 1897. 

 ^Nikolaysen, Fort. d. Med., xxi, 1897. 



s Christmas, loc. cit. 



' Torrey, Jour. Amer. Med. Assn., xlvi, 1906. 



8 Flvgge, " Die Mikroorg.," 3d ed., 1896. 



