THE FIRST DISCOVERY OF THE CHOLERA BACILLUS. 249 
diarrhoea. From these observations, he inferred that the 
bodies in question were peculiar to cholera, and bore some 
essential relation to the disease. 
For comparison are appended some of the figures by Drs. 
Brit tan and S wayne, and others which have been very kindly 
lent me by Dr. Klein, which illustrate the chapters on cholera 
in the new edition of his work on “ Micro-organisms.” It is 
Dr. Klein’s * view that the bacillus forms rings and splits off, 
forming the cholera bacillus of Koch, which is also known as 
the “ Comma Bacillus,” and is a segment of a circle, as des¬ 
cribed by Drs. Brittan and Swayne. After carefully com¬ 
paring the evidence of the description and the woodcuts, I 
venture to claim for Drs. Brittan and Swayne the priority of 
the discovery of the cholera bacillus. Then, as now, the dis¬ 
covery received great opposition, a sub-committee of the 
College of Physicians was appointed, who reported against it, 
but with insufficient evidence to overthrow the demonstrations. 
My reasons for'bringing forward this page of forgotten 
history in the study of the disease of cholera, is not only the 
interest attached to the way in which the question of the 
fungoid character of the disease was medically and publicly 
discussed in 1849, but principally to show, as far as can be 
now ascertained from the above report, that the comma- 
bacillus was known and recognised so far back as thirty-five 
years since, the discovery being made by two Englishmen, 
Drs. Brittan and 8wayne. 
n 
O 
Cholera-cells in vomited matter, 
from Case 5 (first series), a, Cholera- 
cells; b, Squamous and columnar 
epithelium; c, ltound, clear, oily glob¬ 
ules ; d, Starch-grain. Magnified 420 
diameters. Dr. Swayne. 
Drs. Brittan and Swayne’s illustra¬ 
tions of cholera bodies from vomited 
matter, showing rings. Magnification 
not stated, but drawn under Powell 
and Lealand, 1 / 12 th objective. 
* See also Dr. Watson Clieyne, Brit. Med. Journal , No. 1270, May 
2nd, 1885, page 878, fig. 6. 
