248 THE FIRST DISCOVERY OF THE CHOLERA BACILLUS. 
Dr. Kocli thus describes the cholera bacillus in his reports 
on the cause of the cholera-epidemic, presented to the German 
Government, as the result of investigations on the excreta, 
and on the dead bodies themselves, of cholera patients in 
Egypt and in India. The internal organs, lungs, liver, spleen, 
kidneys, etc., as well as the ejecta, were found to swarm with 
microbia of a great variety of kinds; in all cases was found 
one definite kind of bacillus. This was found in largest 
quantities in the tubular glands of the intestines, especially 
between the epithelium and the membrane of the gland. 
This particular form was also never found in the intestines or 
in the ejecta of those not suffering from cholera. 
The cholera bacillus is not quite straight, but is somewhat 
curved, in the manner of a comma, or even nearly semi¬ 
circular. In cultivation, there often arise S-shaped figures, 
and shorter or longer slightly wavy lines. 
As to the question whether their presence is simply due to 
the presence of the choleraic disease, which promotes their 
growth and development, or whether they are themselves the 
cause of cholera, Dr. Koch is very strongly of opinion 
that the latter is the true explanation, since they are never 
found either in the organs or the ejecta except in the case of 
patients who have died of, or are suffering from, cholera. 
They are also found in that organ which is the seat of the 
disease, namely, the intestines; in the first feculent ejecta, 
the bacilli occur only in small quantities, while in the liquid 
odourless ejecta they occur in enormous quantities, all other 
kinds of bacteria being almost entirely absent ; they diminish 
in number as the excreta become more feculent, and have en¬ 
tirely disappeared when the patient is completely restored to 
health. 
If this description is compared with that of Drs. Brittan 
and Swayne, who examined upwards of sixty cases, there is 
a remarkable resemblance. Dr. Brittan found some peculiar 
corpuscles to be constant in the intestinal discharges of cholera 
patients ; and similar bodies, but smaller, though well 
defined, were discovered by him in the matters vomited; they 
appeared larger and more compound in the dejections; de¬ 
creased as the disease progressed favourably ; and vanished 
with the disappearance of the symptoms. Dr. Brittan after¬ 
wards examined, under the microscope, specimens of healthy 
fecal matter, and the fluid stools of typhus, typhoid, and 
other diseases; but failed to detect anything corresponding 
with the peculiar corpuscles belonging to cholera dejections, 
though he discovered these bodies in cases of severe choleraic 
