_ LEPROSY BACILLUS. 317 
Giant-cells, such as are found in tuberculosis, are claimed 
to have been observed by a few investigators (Boinet 
and Borrel). In the interior of the skin tubercles the 
hair follicles, sebaceous and sweat-glands are often 
attacked, and bacilli have sometimes been found in 
these (Unna, ete.). Quite young eruptions often con- 
tain a few bacilli. A true caseation of the tubercles 
does not occur, but ulceration results. 
In the anesthetic forms of leprosy the bacilli are 
found most commonly in the nerves and less frequently 
in the skin. They have been demonstrated in the sym- 
pathetic nervous system, in the spinal cord, and in the 
brain. The bacillus lepre occurs also in the blood, 
partly free and partly within the leucocytes, especially 
during the febrile stage which precedes the breaking 
out of fresh tubercles (Walters and Doutrelepont). The 
bacilli have also been found in the intestines, in the 
lungs, and in the sputum, but not in the urine. 
With regard to the question of the direct inheri- 
tance of the disease from the mother to the unborn 
child there is considerable difference of opinion. Some 
cases have been reported, however, in which a direct 
transmission of the bacillus during intra-uterine life 
seems to have been the only or most plausible expla- 
nation of the infection. At the same time, we have no 
positive experimental evidence to prove that such an 
infection does take place. Although many attempts 
have been made to infect healthy individuals with 
material containing the bacilli of leprosy, the results 
are not conclusive. Even the experiments made by 
Arning, who inoculated a condemned criminal in the 
Sandwich Islands with fresh leprous tubercles, and 
which has been generally regarded as positive evidence 
