244 



BACTERIA 



Bacillus coli. 

 Coccus Brissou. 

 Staphylococci. 

 Diplococci. 

 Streptococci. 



Toxins. 



Suppurative glands, 

 septic poisoning, 

 etc. 



Bacillus of Diphtheria = primary infective 



I agent. 



Inflammatory changes and fibrinous exudation. 



Ferment in Membrane = secondary infective 



I agent. 



Passes through body, and 



by digestion of proteids 



produces \ albumoses ; 



{ AN ORGANIC ACID. 



1. Fever. 



2. Diarrhoea. 



3. Loss of body weight. 



4. Fatty degeneration. 



5. Degeneration of peri- 

 pheral nerves, and 



' resulting paralysis. 



Such is the general effect of toxins in diphtheria. The 

 same principles apply with equal force in tetanus, typhoid, 

 etc., the only differences being in degree of virulence, mode 

 of onset, and portions of the body chiefly affected. 



Sidney Martin has recently ' elaborated the views an- 

 nounced by him in 1892, and it is right that reference should 

 be made to his new classification of bacterial poisons. This 

 may be represented as follows : — 



The poisons secreted by the bacterium itself 



=(ferment ? toxin ?) 

 Products of digestive action of bacterium = 



albumoses ; 

 Final non-proteid products = animal alkaloid ; 

 Poisons present in the bodies of the bacillus 



= Extracellular 

 bacterial poisons. 



^ Intracellular 

 bacterial poisons. 



The poisons of bacteria are, according to Sidney Martin, 

 of a kind which cannot be fully expressed chemically, but 

 only pathologically. They may be of a ferment nature in 

 diphtheria and tetanus. The arguments in support of that 

 view are — (i) that they act in infinitesimal doses, (2) that 

 they may act slowly and produce death after many days by 



' Sidney Martin, M.D., F.R.S., F.R.C.P., Croonian Lectures delivej-ed be/ore 

 the Royal College of Physicians, June, 1898. 



