Contributions to the experimental pathology of spirillum fever / by H. Vandyke Carter ; communicated by James Andrew.

  • Carter, H. V.
Date:
[1880]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Contributions to the experimental pathology of spirillum fever / by H. Vandyke Carter ; communicated by James Andrew. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to the rule of spirillar reproduction ; both were complicated cases and otherwise interesting as showing the antagonism of blood poisons. Twenty-first and twenty-second experiments.—-S. B. (vide No. 9) displayed the relapse ten days after complete fall; as usual, it began abruptly, and blood was taken morning and evening of the day of onset. 1. The morning temperature was 97*4°, pulse 84, the patient convalescent, the fresh blood was noted as con¬ taining clusters of white cells, very little protoplasm, but numerous active granules, and by the acetic acid process a few small yet distinct spirilla were also detected. 2. Gr. T., a healthy and excitable monkey, with normal blood, had ten minims of the above injected after de¬ fibrination ; for five or six days afterwards the temperature showed marked daily paroxysms with occasional high range (as 104'4° on the sixth afternoon), and yet the blood, examined twice daily, furnished no evidence of spirillar infection. The animal itself continued well. Observations were made until the fifteenth day, with like negative results, and it must be supposed that the parasitic organisms were too few or too immature to induce specific fever, supposing that they represent the infecting agent, the daily perturbations of temperature may be attributed to the excitability of the monkey. 3. The man’s relapse set in at 4.30 p.m., and at 5.30 the temperature was 102°, pulse 100, the blood then showed a few spirilla, with small protoplasm and some granules ; ten minims, defibrinated, were injected. 4. F., a fairly healthy monkey, but so restless that the chain it was bound with, caused, by chafing, a large ulcer round the waist, and feverishness in consequence. The chart shows this mild pyrexia to be continuous, and as the blood was carefully examined daily with negative results (only protoplasm and white cells abounding) I conclude that there was an entire absence of specific infection in this experiment also. Possibly the local irritation may have rendered the animahs system unfit, or the injected