TUBERCULO-INFECTION OF MAN. 
551 
the effect of 15 per cent, to 33 per cent, nitric acid and strong 
alcohol, what chance have the gastric and intestinal juices in 
dealing with it? I believe the destructive power of the gastric 
juice in the face of such a murderous germ as this to be a myth, 
pure and simple. To further bring out this point, I will dwell but 
a moment on the peculiar chemical constitution of the germ, as it 
may, in fact probably does, explain its invulnerability to acids. 
I allude to the fact that this bacillus is composed not only of 
albumin, “ the life substance ” which our organism could easily 
handle and do away with, but that throughout the whole of its 
mass and covering its exterior like a coat-of-mail or like a battle¬ 
ship's armor there exists a combination of several of the sub¬ 
stances classed by chemists as fats or waxes! And these fats or 
waxes not only are evidenced chemically by this acid-fast colora¬ 
tion but have other biological significances o’f the utmost im¬ 
portance to the tubercle germ and—unfortunately, to us. Not 
only does it form a defensive and protective membrane to the 
little germ but it penetrates, like a skeleton perhaps, the interior 
of its organism, and forms in fact, or makes of it rather, as Wlad- 
imiroff, whom I have already quoted, says, a spongy, waxlike car¬ 
cass, resisting not only external influences, especially drying, but 
also the penetrating efforts of the gastric juices and again the 
devouring defenders of the animal organism, the phagocytes; 
these can take up the tubercle germs within their body, but, in all 
probability on account of the waxlike envelope and skeletal struc¬ 
ture, evidently cannot resorb and digest them—they try in vain 
to destroy these microbes like they successfully do practically all 
others. And it is again this precious wax that protects these ba¬ 
cilli against rapid drying, which would be fatal to their vital al¬ 
bumin. Indeed, the resistance in this respect, the resistance to 
drying, the microbe of tuberculos : s is immeasurably greater than 
all other germs (Wladimiroff). And again, though it does not 
form spores, thanks to its waxlike coat of armor the tubercle 
germ has no need of doing so. Some observers think they have 
discovered spores, but there is still some doubt on that score. 
Wladimiroff, of St. Petersburg, whom I have repeatedly quoted, 
