3150 Gaseous Edema 



They are all characterized as stout, Gram-negative organisms, non-motile, 

 causing explosive disruption of casein through fermentation of carbohydrates. 

 They do not form spores in milk. Minced meat turns red. Cultures tend to 

 die out in a few days. 



2. Bacillus sporo'genes group. — These micro-organisms endure heating to 8o°C. 

 for twentv minutes. They sporulate in milk. They slowly digest and clear 

 milk from the cream downwards. They blacken minced meat. They are the 

 same motile organisms that have been described by recent English authors as 

 Bacillus oedematis maligni. 



3. Bacillus von Hibler IX. 



4. A small diphtheroid bacillus. 



Henry* found it convenient to divide the anaerobic bacilli into 

 two groups : 



I. The Saccharolytic group. — i. Bacillus welchii (B. perfringens) . 



2. Bacillus tertius (B. von Hibler IX). 



3. Bacillus fallix (Weinberg). 



4. Bacillus aerofoetidus (Weinberg). 



5. Bacillus oedematicus (Weinberg). 



6. Vibrion septique. 



II. The Proteolytic group. — i. Bacillus sporogenes (Metchnikoff). 



2. BaciUus histolyticus (Weinberg). 



3. Bacillus putrificus coli (Bienstock). 



4. Bacillus cadaveris sporogenes (Klein). 

 S- Bacillus tetani (Nicolani). 



Weinberg and Seguinf give the following tabulation of the different 

 anaerobic baciUi in infected gun-shot wounds: 



Cases Per cent. 



Bacillus perfringens (VeiUon and Zuber) 70 77 



Bacillus oedematicus (n. sp.) 31 34 



BaciUus sporogenes (Metchnikoff) 25 27 



Bacillus faUax (n. sp.) 15 16.5 



Vibrion septique (Pasteur) 12 13 



BaciUus tetani.. 9 10 



Bacillus histolyticus (n. sp.) 8 9 



BaciUus aerofoetidus (n. sp.) S S-5 



Bacillus putrificus 2 2 



Bacillus bifermentous 2 2 



BacUlus Gohn-Sachs II i i 



BaciUus tertius i ,1 



Pure infections by these organisms are less frequent than mixed. 

 Not only are the infections caused by combinations of the anaerobes, 

 but aerobes are also frequently associated with them. 



They found the relations of the different organisms as follows:— 



* "Brit. Med. Jour.," 1917, i, p. 806. 



t "Annales de I'lnst. Pasteur," 1917, xxxi, p. 444. 



