388 
E. SEMMEK. 
the northern part of Italy, where it was described by Sanctarch- 
angelo, and in 1873 Zundel and Moritz observed the same in 
Elsase and were able to recognize the presence of bacteria in the 
intestines and blood, without, however, describing them closely. 
In the year 1876 the disease was observed in East India, and ap¬ 
peared in European Russia in 1877. Here the disease was more 
closely studied by E. Semmer, of Dorpat; great numbers of 
micrococci, two-linked chains and rods were found in the in¬ 
testinal tract and micrococci and diplococci in the blood. The 
disease was always transmitted to healthy chickens by feeding the 
intestines of those that had succumbed. 
In 1878 the disease manifested itself in France and Italy, 
and was studied and described by Perroncito, Toussaint and 
Pasteur. Toussaint and Pasteur produced cultures of the micro¬ 
organisms of chicken cholera in urine and chicken broth, and 
proved that inoculation of these cultivated micro-organisms 
would produce the disease. At the same time Pasteur was suc¬ 
cessful in attenuating the micrococci of chicken cholera (by con¬ 
tinued cultures, allowing free access of pure, filtered air) to such 
a degree that chickens inoculated with such cultures only became 
slightly indisposed, and after that enjoyed a perfect immunity 
from the disease. This discovery caused Pasteur to prosecute his 
successful investigations with the contagion of anthrax and ery¬ 
sipelas. 
Symptoms .—At the first appearance of the disease the chickens 
while apparently in the best of health suddenly become listless 
and dull, have an unsteady gait, roughened plumage, wings hang 
at the sides, the comb becomes pale and its edges blue, the ani¬ 
mals lose their appetite, have great thirst,-a tenacious mucus flows 
from the beak and nostrils, soon diarrhoea sets in, with the evacu¬ 
ation of thin mucous yellowish feces, sometimes mixed with 
streaks of blood, colicy symptoms set in, the chickens lay with 
their legs drawn up to the abdomen, with their eyes closed, and 
are with difficulty urged to rise. 
Nearing the end the temperature falls, the animals become 
cyanotic, and die either quietly or in convulsions. 
Morbid Anatomy ,—-The bodies of such as have been affected 
