424 RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS ON PYiEMIA. 
which, on microscopical examination, was found to be crowded 
with bacteria. The intestines were distended with a frothy 
liquid, which possessed none of the characters of the natural 
contents which had been found in other cases to be charged 
with shed epithelium. The internal surface of the whole of 
the alimentary canal from the stomach downwards was in¬ 
tensely infected, and presented appearances which (as had 
been found by more careful investigation in previous cases) 
were due to the separation of the epithelium from the surface 
of the mucous membrane, and the infiltration of that tissue 
with liquid. 
The material which produced these results was obtained 
as follows. Pus from a pyaemic abscess of spontaneous, 
i. e. accidental, origin was introduced into the peritoneal 
cavity of a guinea-pig and allowed to remain there for two 
days. It was then withdrawn from the guinea-pig, and some 
of it at once injected into the peritoneum of a dog. The dog 
was affected in exactly the same way as the animal exhibited 
to the Society. The remainder of the liquid was kept for 
five weeks in hermetically sealed tubes, after which six drops 
were injected into the peritoneum of a guinea-pig; this 
showed its action to have become relatively feeble. After two 
days, the transudation-liquid produced was (on the day before 
the meeting) tested with a third guinea-pig and found to be 
extremely active. This afternoon it was injected into the 
peritoneum of the dog exhibited. 
Dr. Sanderson then concluded by saying — u Such are the 
facts. The all-important question remains—Do these ex¬ 
periments concern us as physicians and surgeons, or not? I 
think they do. But what I want is to prove it; for I am 
well aware that, unless clinical observation come in aid of 
pathological experiment, the results of the latter do not tell 
practically. Let me state what are the lines of inquiry which I 
desire to see taken up. The first question is—Do the cha¬ 
racters which we have shown to be present in the products of 
acute secondary inflammation in the lower animals, also exist 
in similar products in man? The second is more important 
still—Can it be shown that human pyaemic products, when 
tested by inoculation, possess exactly the same morbific 
properties as those which are possessed by the liquids to 
which our experiments relate? It is for answers to these 
inquiries that I earnestly ask the assistance of hospital 
surgeons. 
“ Finally, I would say a word as to the limits of the ques¬ 
tion now before us. With regard particularly to the question 
of bacteria, I desire to keep to the bare facts of disease, and not 
