194 THOMPSON YATES LABORATORIES REPORT 
is normally found in the intestine of man and animals, and, therefore, cannot be said 
to be under these circumstances harmful, nevertheless cases do occur in which marked 
diarrhoea is found associated with great development of this organism in the intestine. 
Such cases of diarrhoea often occur in epidemic form, and the evidence is that under 
certain circumstances the Bacillus coli may become pathogenic, and produce 
inflammation in the alimentary tract. 
Distribution of Tuberculosis. Dr. Elliott conducted an interesting enquiry 
into the distribution of tuberculosis in Liverpool and the infectivity of houses in 
which patients have recently died. He examined the dust in four out of ten houses 
in which deaths haci occurred seven to fourteen days previously, and found, by 
inoculation in the guinea pig, that the tubercle bacillus was present in one of them. 
In this infected house there had been carelessness in the disposal of the sputa, and 
cleanliness had not been observed during and after the patient's death. This is a 
very important observation, for it shows the danger of the consumptive's room not 
only during his illness but for some considerable time afterwards, and it also shows 
the value of the disinfection and cleansing carried out by the disinfecting staff when 
cases of phthisis are notified. 
Plague investigations. During the year numerous rats and several suspected 
cases of Plague were examined by Dr. Balfour Stewart for the presence of the 
Plague bacillus, but none was found. To be ready in case of any emergency a stock 
of vaccine was prepared and kept in the laboratory, and, although no occasion arose in 
Liverpool for its use, it was supplied to other towns in England where cases had 
occurred. A large demand also arose for it owing to the outbreak in South Africa, 
and the total quantity supplied to municipalities, private individuals, the Colonial 
and War Offices, amounts to seventy thousand doses. At the present time a very large 
quantity is available for immediate use in case of any emergency. Nature of the 
vaccine : The vaccine is prepared after Haffkine's method, and consists of a sterilized 
broth cultivation of the virulent plague bacillus. It is put up in sterilized bottles 
containing a definite number of doses, and is most carefully sealed. 
Investigation of ' Pink Eye' in Horses. A severe epidemic of this disease broke 
out during the year amongst the horses of the Corporation and in private stables. 
Having failed to obtain evidence of an organism in the horses, numerous 
examinations were made of the discharges from the eyes and nose, and of all the 
organs of horses which were slaughtered whilst suffering from the disease. The 
organs were examined immediately after death, and included the nasal cavity, trachea 
conjunctiva, liver, spleen, kidneys, subcutaneous tissues, and heart. From the 
mucous membranes a characteristic bipolar Bacillus was isolated in large numbers in 
every case. The Bacillus was pathogenic to guinea pigs, producing fatal results or 
extensive oedema. This Bacillus was common to all the cases of Pink Eye ; it was 
