St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1886-11-06
PNEUMONIA MICROBES.
experiments Demonstrating the Baeteri
Origin Of This Disease,

experiments Demonstrating the Bacteria
Origin Of This Disease.
The subject of acute pneumonia i
one of those which, of late. has excites
a considerable amount of attention
and yet, common as the disease is, it il
one which is surrounded by many un
solved problems. Prof. Weichselbaun
has recently contributed to the Vienn.
Medical Society paper, which. aftel
stating the prevalent opinions upor
the nature of the affection, and dwell
ing especially upon the different opin
Ions held by Friedlander on the one hand
and Frankel on the other as to the pre-.
else characters and properties of the
supposed bacterial agents, he relates
MS own experiences. He points GU,
that clinicians are divided into two
camps upon the Geological question,
some regarding pneumonia as solely
an infective disorder, others consider
ing that the infective forms are diff
terent from those caused by exposure
20 cold. Wcichselbaum. distinguish
ing between primary and secondary
forms, divides them into D labor; (2)
aisseminated; (0 passive pneumonia
hypostatic, etc, and a. lobular. He
has examined one hundred and twenty
seven cases and instituted cighty-seven
cultivation experiments. the material
tor the cultures being obtained one or
TWO hours after death, rs we'll as from
the living subject. by means of Pravaz
syringe introduced into the lung and
pleura
He distinguishes four kinds of micro
organisms. The diplococcus pneu-
nonia Is the most common, consisting
Of oval. elliptical and round cocci.
which occur in chains rs we'll as in
pairs. The chains are composed of
from six to eight or rs many as twenty
to thirty cocci, are straight or slightly
curved, and the cocci are developed in
capsule of varying thickness in pro-
portion to their vitality. The second
variety resembles the first. but distin-
gulshed by a greater uniformity i'm
spherical shape and in forming long
slnuous chains. The third is known
IS the rtaphylococcus aurcusts. albus.
The fourth he terms the bacillus pneu-
monte, consisting of rods of different
lengths the smallest and apparently
youngest being oval. They have a
capsule. and correspond to Friedlan-
1er's pneumococcus.
The first variety was found in ninety
one cases, mostly of croupous pneu-
monia, also in the secondary forms.
The second. or strcptoeoccus, was
found twenty timeS-namely, in fifteen
eases of primary and five of secondary
pneumonia. The staphylococcus &C.
cured in secondary cases only, and
mostly where the primary disease was
due to this micro-organism. The fourth
kind was met with nine times, four
times unmixed with other forms All
these organisms were most abundant
IN the earlier stages of the disease,
being scanty or absent in gray hepatiza-
ton, and, if present, staining badly or
unencapsuled. At the margins of the
pneumonia focus in the Gdematous
tissue micrococci were numerous,
pointing to the 9dema being not a
passive process but a prccursorv stage
OF pneumonia intiltration, and resemb- |
ling the invasion of cutaneous tissue i'm
erysipelas. Moreover, inflammatory
changes accompanied by these micro
organisms were found in the respira-
tory tract above the lungs. Secondary
meningitis in pneumonia was shown
to be due to the same micro-organis,us.
which were also found in the Serious
of pleuri>y and pericarditis.
which might complicate the lung A.
lection. The bacterial origin of the
disease was, therefore. held to be
demonstrated.-N Y. Herald.