1 882.] A Pathogenic Schizophyte of the Hog. 305 



the parts yet more or less inflamed invariably become a promi- 

 nent seat of the morbid process. All this is explained if the 

 Schizophytes constitute the cause, as all recently wounded parts 

 are comparatively rich in blood, and their capillaries, on account 

 of the yet existing congestion or inflammation, are easily ob- 

 structed; but I should find it very difficult to give an explanation, 

 if a poison or chemical virus constitutes the infectious principle 

 and the cause of swine-plague. A chemical poison or virus, one 

 should suppose, would possess special affinity to certain parts or 

 tissues, and therefore cause the morbid process either to develop 

 invariably in one and the same part of the body, or to attack in 

 all cases the whole animal organism. 



13. Antiseptics, or medicines, which are either directly poison- 

 ous to the lowest forms of organic life, or destructive to some of 

 those conditions necessary to the metamorphoses and propaga- 

 tion of the simplest forms of organic life, such as Schizophytes, 

 and among those antiseptics particularly carbolic acid, iodine, 

 hyposulphite of soda, benzoate of soda, thymol, etc., have proved 

 to be almost sure prophylactics. Their use, combined with strict 

 separation, will prevent the outbreak of swine-plague in animals 

 which have been inoculated or have undoubtedly become infected. 

 As one of the conditions necessary to the development of swine- 

 plague, it seems, must be considered a certain degree of animal 

 heat. At any rate, after or while the animal heat of a pig is 

 reduced by a continued treatment with carbolic acid from the 

 normal 102 or 103 F., to an abnormally low temperature of a 

 few degrees below 100 — in several cases it was reduced to 96 

 and 97 — nearly every inoculation with fresh infectious material 

 has proved to remain ineffective, and the few which did not 

 remain ineffective were followed by an unprecedentedly long 

 period of incubation and a very mild form of the disease. Com- 

 ment will not be necessary. The various antiseptics which have 

 proved to be good prophylactics, are very dissimilar in their 

 chemical action and affinities, and therefore their prophylactic 

 effect cannot very well be explained if the infectious principle 

 consists in a chemical poison or virus, but admits explanation if 

 something endowed with life and power of propagation consti- 

 tutes the cause of swine-plague. 



