CHAPTER XYII. 



Sputum septicsemla— SeptiCEemla resulting from the presence of the micro- 

 coccus tetragenus in the tissues— Tuberculosis. 



Obtain from a tuberculous patient a sample of fresh 

 sputum — that of the morning is preferable. Spread it 

 out in a thin layer upon a black glass plate and select 

 one of the small, white, cheesy masses or dense mucous 

 clumps that will be seen scattered through the sputum. 

 With a pointed forceps smear it carefully upon two 

 or three thin cover-slips, dry and fix them in the 

 way given for ordinary cover-slip preparations. Stain 

 one in the ordinary way with Loffler's alkaline methyl- 

 lene blue solution, the other by the Gram method, the 

 third after the method given for tubercle bacilli in fluids 

 or sputum. 



In that stained by Loffler's method — slip No. 1 — 

 will be seen a great variety of organisms — round cells, 

 ovals, short and long rods, perhaps spiral forms. But 

 not infrequently will be seen diplococci, having more 

 or less of a lancet shape ; they will be joined together 

 by their broad ends, the points of the lancet being away 

 from the point of juncture of the two cells. There may 

 also be seen masses of cocci which are conspicuous for 

 their arrangement into groups of fours, the adjacent 

 surfaces being somewhat flattened. They are not sar- 

 cina, as one can see by the absence of the division in 

 the third direction of space — they divide only in two 

 directions. 



11* 



