26 
Journal of the Mitchell Society 
[May 
regular intervals there were definite convulsions, the most typical 
of which started with several rapid nods of the head, followed in 
order by clonic spasms of forelegs and hindlegs, passing in a few 
seconds into a tonic spasm of the whole body. In several, clonic 
spasms alone appeared. The convulsions lasted from one and a 
half to three hours, the animals all dying at the end of a spasm. 
At autopsy no lesions of internal organs were found. Smears 
from the meninges were negative for leucocytes and bacteria. 
Bearing in mind previous failures to cultivate B. tetani from 
wounds, it was thought wiser to subinoculate from these animals. 
Accordingly, the wads, with some necrotic tissue, were removed 
from six of the rats and inoculated into three guinea-pigs and 
three rabbits. The guinea pigs died during the night, but the 
rabbits developed tetanus in about thirty hours. The character of 
the convulsions corresponded to the description in text-books. 
In smears from the rats and guinea-pigs, a few spore-bearing 
bacilli morphologically resembling B. tetani appeared. These 
were somewhat more numerous from the rabbits. From one rat 
only one such bacillus was seen after an hour’s search. In all 
smears bacilli morphologically identical with B. aerogenes capsula- 
tus were recognizable, together with numerous other organisms. 
Cultures were made from the wounds and wads on glucose bouil- 
lon and glucose agar, as well as blood serum. There was marked 
gas production, but repeated search failed to disclose B. tetani. 
Numerous subcultures, made both with and without Kitasato’s 
method, were likewise negative. B. aerogenes capsulatus grew so 
rapidly and vigorously that it apparently crowded out B. tetani 
Many anaerobic plates were also unsuccessful as regards B. tetani. 
In explanation of these failures, it may be said that the tetanus- 
like bacilli were extremely scanty, while B. aerogenes capsulatus 
was relatively abundant; and, further, that several other bacilli 
were present in the Peters wad, which resisted heating as well, 
one of these forming colonies much resembling those of B. tetani. 
However, of five rabbits inoculated with five or six loops of the 
original cultures, three died in convulsions. Smears and cultures 
from their wounds were also entirely negative for B. tetani , though 
made as soon as symptoms of tetanus appeared. 
