Luvg Plague and Qholera. 161 



their lungs, compared with those of cows that are affected 

 with lung fever. 



The fermentation in the fecal matter in the swine affect- 

 ed with the cholera, also explains the lacerated condition, 

 and sloughing or detachment of the epithelial lining of the 

 intestines, in some cases of hog cholera. 



The blood of affected hogs becoming very poisonous 

 from the excess of excretory matter retained in it, Bac- 

 teria appear, and begin to grow and multiply in number. 

 But why do the Bacteria grow and multiply in poisoned 

 blood, while parasites feed on sound or unpoisoned blood? 

 The consistent answer is : Because the Bacteria are scav- 

 enger organisms, whose mission and function it is to or- 

 ganize blood poison — and probably other poisons — and to 

 grow and multiply by organizing poisoned blood material. 

 The parasite feeds on sound blood, the scavenger Bacteria 

 organize poisoned blood. Such is the evident difference 

 and distinction between the natures of the two, and what 

 each feeds upon and grows with. 



Swine that have only a little poison in their blood, re- 

 cover when Bacteria no longer multiply, because there is 

 no dangerous quantity of poison remaining in the blood for 

 them to organize or grow with. 



We see fungoid growths forming from decomposing mat- 

 ter in manure heaps and pastures; which suggests that 

 Bacteria are probably of a fungoid nature. But whether 

 they are animal, or vegetable, or hybrid in nature, is not 

 material, the bad quality of blood, which induces Bacteria 

 to invade the circulation, being the material cause of the 

 trouble or cholera. 



As there is reason to believe that Bacteria usually ap^ 

 pear only in poisoned blood — not invading blood of good 

 quality — it can make no practical difference to breeders of 

 hogs, whether the Bacteria are vegetable or animal organ- 

 isms, or when, or where the spores originate, so long as 



