CONJUNCTIVA IN HEALTH AND DISEASE 121 
Additional experiments were made to prove that the most effectual antiseptic 
is the conjunctiva itself, and that the use of germicides, such as corrosive sublimate, 
only handicaps the conjunctival mucous membrane in dealing with pyogenic organisms. 
Eyre 3 gives a detailed description of the microscopical and cultural features of 
the xerosis bacillus which he obtained from cases of follicular catarrh or trachoma. 
At the end of twenty-four hours on serum no growth was visible to the naked eye or 
microscopically, but after a period varying from thirty-six to forty-eight hours after 
inoculation an abundant growth made its appearance. In many of my inoculations 
growth was visible at the end of sixteen to eighteen hours. 
Eyre 4 examined a series of one hundred and fifty healthy sacs from seventy-six 
individuals, seventy-five of these were sterile. He isolated twenty-eight different 
varieties of organisms which included most of the pyogenic cocci ; staphylococcus 
aureus occurred sixteen times ; citreus, four ; albus, thirteen ; epidermidis albus, 
fourteen ; cereus flavus, two ; and streptococcus longus, three times. 
Staphylococcus aureus was inoculated three times into guinea-pigs and was 
found to be pathogenic. 
Staphylococcus citreus in one case possessed considerable virulence, whilst 
another had but feeble pyogenic powers. Staphylococcus albus was pathogenic to 
mice in two out of four experiments. 
Streptococcus pyogenes longus in each of the three times inoculated in mice 
caused streptococcic infection, two mice dying in three days, the third in five days. 
He pointed out that the alteration which is found to have taken place in the 
biological characters of organisms obtained from the conjunctival sac is evidence of a 
very real bactericidal action of the tears, and he further mentions that the rate of 
growth is appreciably decreased. 
Experiments as to the length of time organisms remained in the conjunctival 
sac were made. A pure culture of B. prodigiosus was introduced into the healthy 
sac of a rabbit, and at varying intervals o - 05c.c. of lachrymal fluid was drawn off. 
The number of organisms rapidly diminished, and at three hours o - 05c.c. contained 
only three colonies, whilst at twenty-four hours no colony could be produced. 
Q 
