EXAMINATION OF PUS AND EXUDATES 105 



EXERCISE LIV 



BACTERIOLOGIC EXAMINATION OF PUS AND EXUDATES 



159. It is often very desirable for diagnostic purposes to 

 make a bacteriologic examination of the pus from abscesses 

 and the muco-purulent discharges or exudates from mucous or 

 serous membranes. 



Several diseases can be diagnosed in this way. It is often 

 necessary to make cultures and it is always advisable to do so 

 whenever the material is in a suitable condition. Among 

 the specific diseases for which such an examination is espe- 

 cially valuable are actinomycosis, gonorrhoea, diphtheria, and 

 tuberculosis. Further, it is often desirable to determine the 

 genera of the bacteria in the numerous abscesses and suppurat- 

 ing wounds encountered in both man and the lower animals. 

 Such examinations will be made from time to time of the more 

 desirable cases as they become available. In this exercise 

 such cover-glass preparations will be examined as have been 

 accumulated for this purpose. 



160. Work for this Exercise. — Examine the pus in the 

 fresh condition and note its composition, leucocytes, red blood 

 corpuscles, fungi (actinomycosis), etc. 



Make cover-glass preparations and stain one or more of them 

 with carbol fuchsin and one with alkaline methylene-blue and 

 examine. Note the cellular tissue elements present and 

 describe the bacteria found. If the pus is from a case sus- 

 pected to be of a specific nature, stain and examine for the 

 corresponding organism. 



If actinomycosis, the ray fungus may be seen better in 

 the fresh preparation. Add a drop of a 10% solution of caus- 

 tic potash to a loopful of pus on the slide and cover it with a 

 cover-glass and examine. 



If gonorrhceal discharge, stain the cover-glass preparations 



