274 LEPROSY. 



by direct contact, though its contagiousness is not of a high 

 order. 



Methods of Diagnosis. — Film preparations should be made 

 with the discharge from any ulcerated nodule which may be 

 present, or from the scraping of a portion of excised tissue, and 

 should be stained as above described. The presence of large 

 numbers of bacilli situated within the cells and giving the 

 staining reaction of leprosy bacilli, is conclusive. It is more 

 satisfactory, however, to make microscopic sections through a 

 portion of the excised tissue, when the structure of the nodule 

 and the arrangement of the bacilli can be readily studied. The 

 points of difference between leprosy and tubercle have already 

 been stated, and in most cases there is really no difficulty in 

 distinguishing the two conditions. 



