3 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 



acteristic macroscopic lesion. From the spleen was isolated an anae- 

 robic bacillus which could reproduce the symptoms of the disorder 

 in animals. This organism, was found in various places in the meat 

 used in making the sausage. On culture media it developed an odor 

 of butyric acid. The toxin obtained from these cultures would re- 

 sist heating at 70° C. for a short time, but heating to 100° C. destroyed 

 it at once. Van Ermengem mentions that in cats injected with this 

 toxin there was muscular rigidity and that the ocular symptoms in 

 these animals were not marked. Dogs, however, were very resistant 

 to the action of this toxin. This organism has also been found in the 

 faeces of hogs. A similar outbreak occurred in Darmstadt after eating 

 vegetables infected with the same organism. 



Xo doubt the term " milksickness " has been made to embrace a 

 variety of clinical conditions; in fact, there has been such confusion 

 in the reports that some authors, as Yandell. have denied its existence 

 as a peculiar entity. ^ 



The mortality as given by Coleman c is one death in every twenty 

 or thirty cases. Others, as Mendenhall/ allude to milksickness as a 

 " very grave disease " ; others, again, speak of the outlook as favor- 

 able under the proper treatment. 



In the same portions of the country in which milksickness occurred 

 a similar, if not identical, disorder also affected domestic animals, 

 especially cattle. In them muscular tremors were present and became 

 especially noticeable when the animals were driven, so that this dis- 

 order received the name of " trembles. ' ,(> It was also called the 

 " tires." on account of the disinclination of the animals to move. A 

 rigidity of the muscles has been noted by McCall.^ The post-mor- 

 tem examination showed the gastric mucosa to be softened and the 

 stomach and intestines contracted/ in some cases gangrenous, 7 ' and at 

 times there was more or less peritonitis. The odor developing at 



« Fischer, M Ueber erne Massenerkrankung an Botiilismus infolge Genusses 

 " verdorbener " Bohnenkonserven. Zeits. f. klin. Aleck, vol. 59. p. 58, 1906. 



Note. — The bacillus Aeroganes capsulatus which occurs in the human intes- 

 tinal tract may give rise to infections associated with constipation. See Herter, 

 C. A., Common Bacterial Infections of the Digestive Tract, 1907. p. 207. 



6 Yandell, L. P.. 1. c, p. 398.— Hibberd, J. F. Observations on Milk-Sickness. 

 Western Lancet. 1845, vol. 3. p. 448. 



c Coleman, A., 1. c, p. 325. 



(1 Mendenhall, I. Milk-Sickness. Chicago Med. Jour., vol. 18, p. 435, 1861. 



c Yandell, L. P., 1. c, p. 398. 



f McCall, A. Facts and Observations on the Milk Sickness. West. Jour. 

 Med. and Pkys. Sci„ vol. 3. p. 467, 1830. 



v Graff, G. B., 1. c, p. 362. 



h Dickey. W. Fssay on Milk Sickness. Western Lancet, vol. 13, pp. 391-395, 

 1852. 



121—x 



