ESSAYS ON BACTERIOLOGY. 75 



teria. Something additional may be acceptable in 

 this line to bring the subject up to date. 



First, Tuberculosis. — One of the niost important 

 matters in the study of this disease has been the dem- 

 onstration that tubercle bacilli may long remain latent 

 or dormant in the body, to be called intO- activity by 

 various exciting agencies. Thus the bronchial glands 

 have been repeatedly shown to contain living -tubercle 

 bacilli while the lungs and other organs were appar- 

 ently free both from the germs and the disease. This 

 fact doubtless explains many cases of acute tubercu- 

 losis following such diseases as measles, whooping 

 cough and typhoid fever, and slight wounds to bones 

 and joints. Furthermore, proof positive has been ac- 

 cumulating that actual congenital transmission of tu- 

 berculosis is more frequent than was a few years ago 

 supposed. To be sure, these demonstrations have 

 been comparatively few, but they seem to strengthen 

 the view of Baumgarten, to which reference has al- 

 ready been made. 



A review of tuberculosis would be incomplete with- 

 out reference to the efforts which are being awakened 

 the world over to limit the spread of the disease by 

 limiting the distribution of the poison. Already a 

 number of foreign and American sanitaxy boards have 

 instituted formal measures in this direction. The 

 ISTew York City Board of Health has here again dem- 

 onstrated its progressive efficiency. The question of 

 compulsory notification of tuberculosis has given rise 



