706 
CLAUDE D. MORRIS. 
and wished I would go out and examine him. As soon as I saw 
the colt, the symptoms presented were an open book portraying 
the trouble,—it was tetanus in all its agony. Without going into 
the details, which I afterwards did to prove from whence came 
the germs of the disease, we will conclude the clinic by stating the 
fact, that the bacilli of tetanus was on the ropes and straps of the 
throwing rig, and was thus conveyed to the wound of the scro¬ 
tum. After relating this incident to a physician of large experi¬ 
ence, he unbosomed a like circumstance in his own practice. 
He was treating a case of peritonitis which was the result of a 
wound in the lower third of the abdomen, the wound presenting 
septic symptoms. One day after dressing the wound he was 
called to a case of midwifery, in a woman enjoying ideal health; 
delivery occasioned slight lacerations, labor lasting only three 
hours. The third day he noticed evidences of inflammation in 
the parts, extending to the mucous membrane of the vagina. 
Again, without going into details, which he related, the Doctor 
was satisfied that by his hand he had transmitted the germ of 
sepsis to a healthy person. Surgical sanitation means more than 
ordinary cleanliness. It means perfect sterilization of hands and 
instruments. In a diversified practice, this danger is more 
imminent, as it brings in contact with the medium a greater 
number of avenues through which to spread infection. A few 
months ago we were called to see a case, that upon examination 
proved to be glanders, which was under treatment by an empiric, 
who did not recognize the disease ; he also had under treatment 
at the same place the favorite cat, suffering with a lacerated 
wound on the arm ; strange to say, that in nine days this cat 
had developed the disease sufficient to make diagnosis easy. 
Herein lies the danger; and how often it comes to the surface 
in practice ; the patient apparently doing well, soon we observe 
complications, which are hard to account for ; they are absent in 
the literature on the disease ; if then, these symptoms are not the 
natural sequel, what are they ? Experience tends to confirm the 
belief: that too often we are the medium conveying the germs 
of disease. 
