United States Congressional Serial Set (Volume 5486) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1909. Excerpt: ... numerous tubercular foci, and the pericardium, peritoneum, spleen, and liver were also affected. In order to throw some light, if possible, upon the morphological constancy of the different types of tubercle bacilli, Mohler has made comparative studies of bacilli from various sources, and which had been passed through various species of animals, by making the cultures upon dog serum after the method described by Theobald Smith. Some important results have been obtained. One culture of human bacilli which had morphological and cultural peculiarities similar to those of the bovine bacillus, and which only produced local lesions in cattle, was passed through a series of five cats. It was then found to be completely changed in its morphological characters, the rods being elongated, slender, more or less beaded, and entirely of the human type. But far from decreasing in virulence, as might be expected from its morphological appearance, this bacillus had so increased in its pathogenic activity that it now produced generalized tuberculosis in a cow. This cow was inoculated subcutaneously in front of each shoulder with 2 c. c. of a salt solution, emulsion of the tuberculous omentum of the last cat of the series. The cow rapidly lost flesh, had a temperature of 104 F., with the point of inoculation and adjacent glands greatly swollen. The autopsy revealed generalized tubereulosis, involving the lungs, mediastinal glands, spleen, liver, and kidneys. Tubercle bacilli of the bovine type obtained from the mesenteric glands of a sheep, hog, and cow were similarly transformed in their morphological appearance after being passed through a series of cats and recovered on dog serum. These bacilli also increased in virulence, as the last cat in the series invariably succumb...