LEPROSY. 407 



is not regarded as conclusive, as the man had a family history of 

 leprosy. The disease has never been known to spread from patients 

 in this country, who have contracted the disease abroad. 



The baciUi of leprosy were first observed by Hansen in 1874, and 

 subsequently fuUy described by him, and his observations confirmed 

 by Xeisser, in 1879. 



Bacillus Leprae.— Eods 5 to 6 /x in length and 1 /^ in breadth. 

 The baciUi are straight or curved, resembling very closely the 

 tubercle baciUi. They are present in the leprous tubercles of the 

 s k i n and mucous membrane, in the lymphatic glands, and in the 

 Hver, testicles, and kidney ; and in the nerves in the anaesthetic 

 variety. They are found between the cells, and in colonies in the 

 cells. They stain readily with the aniline dyes, especially by the 

 Ziehl-Neelsen and Gram's m.ethods. The bacUU are found in extra- 

 ordinary numbers in the skin, and they are rather straighter than 

 tubercle bacilli, and stain more readily. 



Numerous unsuccessful attempts to cultivate the bacillus have 

 been made by many bacteriologists. The author has made repeated 

 inoculations upon glycerine-agar, upon which the tubercle bacOlus 

 grew abundantly, but always with disappointing results. On the 

 other hand, Bordoni-Uffreduzzi showed the author a cultivation 

 which he had obtained from the bone marrow of a leper. The 

 cultivation was made on blood serum and glycerine, and cover- 

 glass preparations resisted decolorisation with acid. There were 

 slight morphological differences when compared with the appear- 

 ance of bacillus leprae in the tissues, and the results were hardly 

 conclusive. 



The English Leprosy Commission also reported successfid cultiva- 

 tion of the leprosy bacUlus. The author had the opportunity of 

 examining one of the first cultures received in this country, and 

 found that the bacilli stained deeply in ordinary cover-glass pre- 

 parations, they did no^ resist decolorisation by the Ziehl-Neelsen 

 method, and they corresponded in culture with one of the varieties 

 of Bacillus subtiHs, commonly found on the skin. 



Inoculation of animals has given equally unsatisfactory results. 

 Numerous experiments have been made by Beaven B,ake on small 

 animals and birds, with invariably negative results. The blood of 

 leprous patients, tubercles from the living subject, fragments of the 

 skin and of the internal organs after death, have been inoculated by 

 different observers without result. Melcher and Ortmann alone claim 

 to have produced reaUy definite results. These observers excised 

 leprous tubercles from the living subject, and inoculated fragments 



