Reports of the Commission appointed by the Admiralty, the War Office, and the civil government of Malta, for the investigation of Mediterranean fever / under the supervision of an advisory committee of the Royal Society.

  • Great Britain. Admiralty. Commission for the Investigation of Mediterranean Fever.
Date:
1905-7
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Reports of the Commission appointed by the Admiralty, the War Office, and the civil government of Malta, for the investigation of Mediterranean fever / under the supervision of an advisory committee of the Royal Society. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    j\I. melitensis through a crack in the mucous membrane over the incisor teeth. Experiment VI.—Monkey No. 72. To Differentiate between Absorption from the Mouth ami Throat ami Absorption from the Stomach and Intestines. Monkey No. 72 arrived in the laboratory on September 10, 1904. The blood was tested and gave no reaction with the M. melitensis. Feeding was then commenced, infected milk being passed directly into the stomach by means of an indiarubber tube. The growth on one agar slope, second generation, spleen of H , incubated for 6 days at 37° C., was employed. September 13, 1904. The feeding was continued as before, the growth on one agar slope, incubated for 7 days, being given. A small quantity of the milk regurgitated into the mouth, but no abrasion could be seen on the mucous membrane. September 14, 1904. The growth from one agar slope, incubated for 8 days, was given. September 15, 1904. The feeding was continued as before. September 16, 1904. The feeding was continued, the growth from one agar slope, incubated for 5 days, being given. A little milk again regurgitated into the mouth, and, on examination, a small crack was found in the mucous membrane opposite the upper incisor teeth. The mouth was at once washed out with lysol. The blood was examined but no reaction with the M. melitensis was obtained. September 17, 1904. The feeding was continued, the growth from one agar slope, incubated for 5 days, being given. September 18, 1904. The growth from one agar slope, incubated for 6 days, was given. September 21, 1904. The blood was examined and the serum in a dilution of 1—10, caused instantaneous clumping of the M. melitensis. September 26, 1904. The serum, diluted 1—100, was found to agglutinate the M. melitensis instantaneously, the reaction being visible with the naked eye. Note.—This monkey was directly infected either on September 13 or 16, the short incubation and sharp rise of temperature correspond to what is seen when the M. melitensis is directly absorbed into the peripheral circulation. Owing to the regurgitation of the infected milk into the mouth the experiment failed to differentiate between absorption from the mouth and from the alimentary canal; it, however, explains what probably occurred in the case of Monkey No. 66. The prolonged incubation or rather slow absorption observed in the case of Monkeys Nos. 39, 40, and 41 forms a marked contrast to the rapid infection noticed in Monkeys Nos. 66 and 72, and approximates very closely to the results obtained when human beings are infected under natural conditions.