?APPENDIX   No.   8.
NOTES ON SOME BACTERIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS MADE IN THE
GRANT ROAD LABORATORY
BY
Dr. L. G. HAYDON, M.B., D.P.H.,
AND
Dr. F. M. GIBSON, M.B., B.Sc.
A series of experiments were made with the object of ascertaining,
as far as possible, how the specific contagion of the disease passed from
man to man, from rat to rat, or from rats to men ; and, secondly, the
relative degree of infectiousness in the dead as compared with the
living.
While these experiments were in progress, some information was
also gained on other points, hereafter enumerated.
Blood, excretions, and secretions were systematically examined,
both from men and rats that had died of Plague. The presence of
innumerable bacterial forms in such material, many of them bearing a
strong resemblance, both microscopically and culturally, to the Plague
organism, adds very largely to the difficulty of such an investigation, and
renders it imperative, that no organism should be declared to be the
Plague bacillus until it has been isolated, grown pure, and shown capa-
ble of reproducing the same disease.
The following methods were adopted to obtain the materials for
examination:-
IN MEN DEAD OF PLAGUE.
Blood from the lungs and extremities was obtained by a sharp,
pointed, sterile, capillary pipette, thrust through sterilised areas of the
skin.
Urine, or, more properly speaking, fluid expressed from the urethra
was drawn in small quantities by sterile pipettes from the urethra.
Fæces from rectum by a sterilised glass rod.
Sputum from fauces by swabs of sterile cotton wool.
Tears and sweat were not examined, but it is extremely improbable
and contrary to all previous experience that a bacillus could be excreted
in the latter.
IN RATS DEAD OF PLAGUE.
Blood was obtained from the snipped-off tip of the tail, the lungs
and the spleen.