236 APPLIED BACTERIOLOGY 



duced the spasmodic muscular effects. He has arrived at 

 the following general conclusions : 



' 1. That in all cases of traumatic tetanus there are 

 present in the blood and in the spleen the products of 

 bacterial action — viz., albumose and certain acid organic 

 bodies. 



' 2. That to the albumoses must be ascribed the pro- 

 duction of the fever of tetanus. They produce none of 

 the tetanic symptoms. 



' 3. That the other extract contains the substances which 

 are the direct excitants of the muscular spasms of tetanus.' 



Serum Treatment. — The serum treatment and the prepara- 

 tion of antitetanic serum have already been noticed (see 

 p. 133). 



MALIGNANT (EDEMA. ' 



Discovered by Coze and Feltz — Forms spores — Method of staining — 

 Must be grown on special media under anaerobic conditions — 

 Occurrence of the disease — Method of obtaining a pure culture — 

 The bacillus is the cause of surgical gangrene. 



The Bacillus cedetnatia maligni — also known as the 

 Bacillus septicus — was first described by Coze and Feltz 

 in the year 1872, and afterwards studied by Koch and by 

 Pasteur. The organism is a motile rod with rounded ends, 

 about 4 /J, long and 0*1 yu. broad. It forms spores both at 

 room-temperature and at blood-heat. No development 

 takes place below 16° C. (Schenk), and the most favourable 

 temperature is about 38° C. The spores are mostly situate 

 at the end of the rod, and are stated by Sternberg to be 

 very resistant, but neither their death-point nor that of the 

 bacillus is given. 



Method of Staining. — The bacillus- stains readily with all 

 the basic aniline dyes, and is decolourized by Gram's 



