528 
M. H. REYNOLDS. 
“There are three ways in which micro-organisms usually 
penetrate into our bodies : First, from the surface of the skin, 
generally after it has been injured in some way. It does not, 
however, indeed always require such special door of entry 
(i. e., abrasion.) Second, the digestive canal into which the 
bacteria pass along with the food. Many, it is true, cannot 
pass through the stomach in their usual form, being destroyed 
by the action of its acid contents. Other kinds are less 
sensitive, and when spores are present, or when disease has 
altered the character of the digestive fluid and weakened its 
bacteria-killing power, there is no further obstacle to the 
passage of the parasites. Third, the respiratory organs can 
afford entrance to the bacteria/’ 
Zuckerman, in summing up his experiments on suppura¬ 
tion, says plainly that pus-microbes can enter the body 
through the skin, intestinal mucous membrane or by way of 
the respiratory organs; but the most frequent entrance is 
through the skin. Longard, in discussing certain superficial 
abscesses, declares as his opinion that they are caused by 
pus microbes which gained access through the sweat glands, 
and gives as his reason for the latter proposition, that these 
certain microbes were found in abundance on the inner sur¬ 
face of the membrana propria of these glands, where they re¬ 
mained harmless till they penetrated to the underlying con¬ 
nective tissue ; anyway, may not this be correct? This con¬ 
tinuous lumen of the coiled tube, which constitutes a sweat 
gland, and the sudoriferous canal, which connects the gland 
with the body surface, is covered internally with a very thin, 
delicate membrane. This membrane is covered by two or 
three layers of polyhedral, epithelial cells, and over these 
lies the membrana propria. Now if those pyogenic microbes 
had reached the membrana propria , why may they not reach 
the underlying connective tissue of the corium, or even 
the subcutaneous tissues? Each gland has an afferent 
arteriole from which is formed a delicate plexus of capillaries, 
surrounding the gland tube. Thus are furnished the neces¬ 
sary conditions for receiving and distributing these pyogenic 
organisms. 
