1882.] upon Contagium in two Forms of Septichcemia. 155 



filling the vacuum tubes, portions of the dilute blood drying on their 

 sides, might have escaped perfect sterilisation by heat ; it was there- 

 fore determined to repeat the experiments with tubes filled by a 

 method which should avoid this possible source of error. Tubes 

 were made of thick German glass, about "3 inch internal diameter, 

 closed at one end and slightly drawn out three or four inches from 

 the bottom ; then the blood of rabbit H, which died in my presence, 

 of transmitted infection, was immediately collected and mixed with 

 three times its bulk of normal saline solution with the addition of 

 3 per cent, potassic carbonate. In this instance it was found that a 

 less degree of either alkalinity or dilution would not prevent coagula- 

 tion on heating. Of this blood further diluted up to the ten- 

 thousandth degree, 0*6 cub. centim. ( = '00006 cub. centim. of the un- 

 mixed blood) was injected into the back of rabbit I, which died of 

 septicheemia in twenty- seven hours ; the characteristic organisms were 

 found in the blood, which on inoculation into another rabbit proved 

 to be infective. A portion of the same alkaline dilute blood was 

 then placed in the tubes above-mentioned, 2 to 3 cub. centims. in 

 each, by means of a capillary pipette introduced to the bottom, con- 

 tamination of the sides being avoided ; the tubes were then drawn 

 out by the blow-pipe to a capillary point, boiled in salt solution and 

 sealed while boiling. One tube that was heated separately to 140° C. 

 burst, as had been the case in several other experiments previously ; 

 the remainder were thereupon heated to fully 100° C. for six hours, 

 when the temperature was raised to 130° C, were maintained at that for 

 one hour, and then gradually cooled. Of this dilute superheated blood, 

 rabbit K received by subcutaneous injection in the back 0'6 cub. centim. 

 (=0T5 cub. centim. blood), and rabbit L received 1/1 cub. centim. 

 of the same (=0'275 cub. centim. blood), that is nearly five thou- 

 sand times as much as rabbit I had received of the unheated blood. 

 Both these rabbits K and L were unaff ected in any manner whatever : 

 there was no appreciable variation of the rectal temperature ; they 

 continued to feed well, and did not lose flesh. They were killed ten 

 days subsequently ; and no material inflammation at or around the 

 place of injection, and no thickening whatever of the tissues which 

 occurs so markedly in all cases of infection could be observed ; there 

 was only a slight stain, as if by the colouring matter of the blood, in 

 the subcutaneous tissue near the spot of injection. 



From the result of these experiments I conclude that the active 

 virus of infection, both in the case of Pasteur's septicheemia — the 

 malignant oedema of Koch — in guinea-pigs, and in Davaine's septi- 

 chaemia in rabbits, is destroyed by the prolonged action of a suffi- 

 ciently high temperature ; that blood or exudation fluid so treated is 

 not infective, nor in any appreciable manner toxical, when injected 

 in moderate quantities (up to 1 cub. centim.) into other healthj 



