224 APPLIED BACTERIOLOGY 



Practical Precautions. — The gonorrhoeal pus is infective 

 on any mucous surface, and if accidentally introduced into 

 the eye may cause its loss, unless treated within two days. 

 Patients should therefore be warned of this danger. 



GLANDERS. 



The bacilltis of glanders was first described by Loffler and Schutz — ■ 

 Proof of its specificity — Morphology — Method of growth in culture — 

 Attenuation occurs rapidly in culture — Susceptible animals — Farcy 

 — Diagnosis of glanders — MaUein — Preventive measures. 



The Bacillus mallei was first described in the year 18S2 

 by Lbflfler and Schutz, and was proved by them to be the 

 specific cause of the disease by the successful inoculation 

 of horses and asses with pure cultures of the bacillus. 



The organism is a short thick rod about 2 yu. long by 

 05 fi thick ; that is to say, it is somewhat shorter and 

 thicker than the tubercle bacillus. 



Growth on Media. — The bacillus grows on potato at blood- 

 heat, but only slightly at room-temperature ; it grows 

 slightly on gelatine, and readily on glycerine agar, but the 

 growth on the latter does not produce the characteristic 

 appearances seen when the organism is grown on potato. 



On potato the growth is apparent in three to four days ; 

 at first it has the appearance of honey, but later on becomes 

 yellower, and eventually darker, till it approaches a choco- 

 late colour. 



With the exception of the pyogenic organisms, glanders 

 is almost the only coloured pathogenic organism. Cultures 

 on all media rapidly become attenuated, and die easily 

 unless kept at blood-heat. Schenk states ' that the infective 

 power of the virus' (probably meaning the specific dis- 

 charge) is not destroyed by drying for three months. This 



