1882.] upon Contagium in two Forms of Septichcemia. 153 



Part II. — Experiments upon the blood of Rabbits in the form of 

 Septichcemia known as that of Davaine. 



This form of septichasmia in the rabbit, which has attracted so 

 much attention, and been the subject of so many experiments since 

 those first published by Davaine and by MM. Coze and Feltz, in 

 1869, is originated by the subcutaneous injection of a small quantity 

 — a few drops — of putrid blood, usually that of the ox. Infection 

 with the specific disease in this case, as in the parallel one of septi- 

 chsemia in the mouse, is somewhat uncertain, and the law on which it 

 depends has not been clearly determined. Usually, however, blood 

 which is only a few days old, — three or four — is, as originally stated 

 by Davaine, the most readily infective, but by no means constantly 

 so. In the following experiments all the rabbits employed were young, 

 and nearly of the same age and size, not quite full grown. The 

 septichsemic blood used for injection was always diluted, generally with 

 an equal balk of freshly prepared and boiled normal saline solution ; 

 the quantities of blood given as injected, unless otherwise stated, are 

 always those of the blood itself which was used, and not of the 

 solution. 



No. 1. — 0*2 cub. centim. of putrid ox-blood some days old was 

 injected into the subcutaneous tissue of the back of rabbit No. 1. In 

 forty-eight hours afterwards the rectal temperature was found to be 

 106° F., and the animal died on the third day. In the blood from 

 the heart, examined immediately after death, a few of the organisms 

 characteristic of the disease* were found, and preparations made and 

 stained by the Weigert Koch method, gave the same result. 



Two hours after death 0*1 cub. centim. of the blood of No. 1 was 

 injected into rabbit No. 2. Twenty hours afterwards the rectal tem- 

 perature was 104° F., and the animal expired in my presence twenty- 

 three hours after injection. Section was made almost immediately, 

 within about five minutes after death, but the blood was found already 

 partially coagulated in the cavities of the heart and in the vessels. The 

 blood which remained fluid was quickly mixed with two parts normal 

 saline solution, with the addition of 3 per cent. pot. carb., and 0*3 cub. 

 ceutim. of this solution ( = 0*1 cub. centim. blood) was injected into 

 the subcutaneous tissue of rabbit No. 3, which died just within 

 twenty hours after injection. A portion of the dilute alkaline blood 

 was then placed in tubes, by breaking their points, sealed at a red heat, 

 underneath the fluid ; they were then immersed in a small flask of 

 saline solution, sealed while boiling, and placed in the hot air oven,, 

 the temperature of which was gradually raised to 140° C, and slowly 



* These are fully described in the forthcoming number (for June, 1882) of the- 

 " Journ. Royal Micros. Society." 



