A report of microscopical and physiological researches into the nature of the agent or agents producing cholera (second series) / by T.R. Lewis and D.D. Cunningham.

  • Lewis, T. R. (Timothy Richards), 1841-1886.
Date:
1874
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A report of microscopical and physiological researches into the nature of the agent or agents producing cholera (second series) / by T.R. Lewis and D.D. Cunningham. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    [ * ] Lj[K and Telz describing the red corpuscles presenting “ 1’aspcc d’nn nhatnn dpi rnnrrrm rl’ImlA •” n.nrl nrinoai-inn 1 d’un chaton de marron d’Inde;” and appearing “ commJ?^ reconverts de piquants qui rappellent tres-bien la forme d i ’f lorme d Ml batonnets ou Bacteries,” as one of the characteristics of til l' ^ blood in septiccemia, typhoid, variola, and measles, and snpji--l! gesting the possibility of such appearances being due to th development upon the red corpuscles of the bacteria wliic they affirm to be the cause of the diseases in question.* fee?* pti'S It is no doubt true that a phenomenon like that c The phenomenon may be echinulation may be induced by varilfuiv;C ous causes, and that some of thesliHentk induced by pressure, causes may be morbid conditions of the blood ; still there i gas very great need of caution in interpreting the significanc- abee: of any phenomena which we find may co-exist with health isirce in the subjects furnishing the specimens under examination nay more, which may be induced accidentally or at will b; slight modifications in manipulation. Now, we have no hesita tion in affirming that this is the case in regard to the pheno. menon under consideration, and, although at first inclined tq ascribe some importance to its presence, we have in the cours-j of experience come to regard the whole matter with gran •so suspicion. Numerous experiments clearly showed that echiuu lation was the invariable consequence of employing a ver; small quantity of blood so as to spread it out in a very thii layer (vide No. 6, Table I), or of pressure wilfully applied t< thicker layers (vide Nos. 8 and 9 of the same table). wiiv That other influences beyond mere mechanical pressun do, however, result in producing simi lar appearances was clearly mamles in one or two cases in which the phenomenon came oi gradually in specimens preserved in wax cells in which then; T could certainly be no pressure on the corpuscles, beyond tha of the contained air; nor could the evaporation have beer sufficient to have accounted for the alteration. Howevei induced, the condition appeared in one of two forms; to the first of these, in which the corpuscles appeared beset wit-1 very fine projecting points, the term * echinulation ’ is strictly applicable; whilst in the other ‘ tuberculation 5 more accu* * “ Rechorclies cliniquos et expt?rimcntales sur lea maladies infectieuses etndi specialetnenfcnn point de vup, do l’etat du sang et dc la presence des ferments.”—Paris, J* Halliere et Fils, 1872. p. 76. >lo\ Cions feitelj fcreloi & cor >tnre Den t s s m