340 Veterinary Medicine. 



Gumprecht and Goldscheider claim that the poison reaches the 

 spinal centres by way of the nerve trunks, basing the conclusion 

 on the observation that the spasms sometimes remain for a time 

 more marked on that side of the body on which the wound or in- 

 oculation was made. Absorption through the circulation also is 

 conceded. 



Courmont and Doyon claim that the product of the bacillus 

 tetani only operates as a ferment, which produces in the blood the 

 real tetanizing agent, basing the conclusion on an apparent delay 

 in its action, in man, as compared with strychnia, and on the 

 prompt action of the injected blood of a tetanic animal in which 

 this poison is presumably preformed. It should be noted, how- 

 ever, that the disease in man is only seen after accidental inocu- 

 lation of the bacillus, and that time must be allowed for the in- 

 crease of the microbe. 



Vaillard and Vincent have shown that the promptitude and 

 certainty of the result depend on the age of the culture employed. 

 A culture of 5 days in bouillon at 20° to 22° C. will not harm a 

 Guinea pig in a hypodermic dose of 0.25CC. to 0.5CC. A culture 

 of 20 days old is deadly. 



The action on the nerve cell of the spinal cord has been inves- 

 tigated by Goldscheider and Flatau, who found degeneration of 

 the chromatin granules within a short time after inoculation. 

 (Centr. fiir Allg. Path. Anat. 1897). W. K. Hunter found that 

 the ganglion cell stained more diffusely than normal cells. There 

 were also some capillary dilatation and punctiform hsemorrhages 

 in certain cases (Brit. Med. Jour. 1897). 



P6choutre examined the lumbar enlargement of tetanic rab- 

 bits by Nissl's method and found the following lesions in the 

 motor cells of the anterior horns : ist. A partial or total disap- 

 pearance of the distinct outer marginal line- ; enlargement of the 

 cell and pericellular space ; diffuse coloration of the acromatic 

 substance ; a disappearance of the regular concentric disposition 

 of the granules of Nissl which were in part reduced to a fine pow- 

 der ; 2d. Encrease of nucleus/and nucleolus. 



Others have observed encrease of the cerebro-spinal fluid, 

 thickening of the ependyma, nuclear proliferation in the neurog- 

 lia, and softening of the cord, but in many cases no appreciable 

 lesions in the nerve centres have been found, and none can be 



