80 
Facts and Observations. 
INOCULATION WITH DIPHTHERITIC EXUDATION. 
Dr. Harley, at a recent meeting of the Pathological 
Society, exhibited specimens of the fauces, larynx, and 
trachea of a dog that had been inoculated with diphtheritic 
exudation. 
Dr. Iiarley, while showing the above-mentioned specimens 
to the society, said that he had inoculated five animals 
with the exudation taken from the fauces of a woman aged 
23 (one of Dr. Walshe’s patients in University College 
Hospital), supposed to be labouring under an attack of 
diphtheria. The experiments were performed as follows : 1st. 
As children are specially liable to be attacked with diseases 
accompanied with membraniform deposits, such as croup, 
for example, two young pups were selected for experiment. 
2d. As badly nourished, sickly individuals are believed to be 
favorable subjects for diphtheria, a sickly, ill-fed, full-grown 
dog was procured. 3d. A perfectly healthy adult dog : and 
4thly, as the foregoing were all warm-blooded animals, and 
Dr. Harley wished to make the experiment as complete as 
circumstances would permit of, a snake, which is a cold¬ 
blooded animal, was also employed. Some of the membrane 
carefully removed from the fauces of the woman, together 
with some of the yellowish coloured mucus secreted by the 
denuded surface of the pharynx, which was found on micro¬ 
scopical examination to contain all the cell-elements of the 
perfectly formed membrane, was collected in watch-glasses, 
and carefully excluded from the action of the atmosphere. 
The fauces and pharynx of each of the four dogs were now 
scarified, and while two of them had the abraded surfaces 
well rubbed over with the diphtheritic membrane, the other 
two were in a similar manner inoculated with the yellow 
mucus. The snake, on the other hand, was inoculated on the 
back of the neck. Twenty-four hours after the performance 
of the operations, the two pups were killed and examined ; 
but nothing was detected save the marks of scarification. 
Four days later the sickly dog died, and on examination no 
change was found to have taken place about the throat, except 
that a small ulcer had formed on.the centre, and towards the 
posterior part or the fauces. This ulcer, Dr. Harley said, 
was not covered with anything resembling a diphtheritic exu¬ 
dation ; but only presented the usual appearances of an 
