CHAPTER XXII. 



The spirillum (comma bacillas) of Asiatic cholera — Its morphological and 

 cultural peculiarities— Pathogenic proi)erties— The hactoriological diagnosis of 

 Asiatic cholera. 



At the conference held in Berlin in 1884 for the 

 purpose of discussing the cholera question, it was 

 announced by Koch^ that he had discovered in the 

 intestinal evacuations of individuals suffering from 

 Asiatic cholera a micro-organism that he believed to 

 be the cause of the malady. The importance of this 

 statement necessarily attracted widespread attention to 

 the subject, and as one of the results there existed, 

 for a short time following, some skepticism as to the 

 accuracy of Koch's claim. These doubts arose as a 

 result of a series of contributions from other observers 

 who endeavored to prove that the organism found by 

 Koch in cholera evacuations was one that is common 

 to other localities, and not a specific accompaniment 

 of this disease. It was not very long, however, 

 before it was evident that the objections raised by 

 the opponents of Koch were based upon untrustworthy 

 observations, and that by reliable methods of investi- 

 gation the organism to which he had called attention 

 could be easily differentiated from either and all of those 

 with which it was claimed to be identical. 



This organism, known as the spirillum of Asiatic 

 cholera and as Koch's " comma bacillus," because of its 

 morphology, is identified by the following peculiarities : 



1 Verhandlungen der Conferenz zur Erorterung der Cholerafrage, 1884, 

 Berlin. 



