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27
The rats were more or less decomposed, but one, which was in a better
condition than the others, was submitted to Professor Klein, who furnished
the following report:—
"Saint Bartholomew's Hospital and College,
"August 25th, 1908.
"It will be in your recollection that on August 21st a dead rat was
"brought here by your messenger.
"The head of the rat was covered with maggots.
"On opening the abdomen it was evident that owing to the putrefac"tive
changes the rat must have been dead some time. The lungs,
"however, seemed to promise better results ; the right lung was congested
"and almost solid.
"Film specimens stained, of the inflamed lung juice, showed besides
"spores and anaerobic bacilli, a fair number of bacteria which in size
"and shape and bipolar staining resembled B. pestis.
"With the lung juice I injected subcutaneously one small guinea-pig
"(No. 1) and inoculated cutaneously one mouse (No. 2).
" On August 22nd the guinea-pig showed slight swelling, but was
"otherwise lively, the mouse was seemingly alright.
"On August 24th (Monday) the guinea-pig had big bubo in the groin;
"the animal was quiet, and did not feed. The mouse was distinctly ill:
"rough coat, and not feeding. I punctured the bubo of the guinea-pig
"and examined the film specimen made of the bubo fluid; it was
"crowded with bipolarly stained bacilli which in size and shape resembled
"B. pestis. I at once telephoned to your office to say that the case is
" 'very suspicious of plague.'
"With the bubo fluid of the guinea-pig I injected a further guinea"pig
(No. 3) and made agar plates and agar tubes.
"To-day, August 25th, the guinea-pig was found very ill; it was
" killed.
"On post-mortem it presented in the groin a big necrotic tumour
"(lymph gland) surrounded by haemorrhage and oedema. The necrotic
"tissue of the gland was crowded with typical bipolarly stained B. pestis.
"The spleen was pervaded by minute necrotic nodules—subacute plague.
"The cultures made yesterday showed colonies of B. pestis.
"The mouse (No. 2) is still alive, but distinctly ill.
"From the above result in the guinea-pig, I have no hesitation in
"saying that this guinea-pig was affected with Pestis Bubonica—subacute
"type, and consequently the original rat had died of Plague.
"E. KLEIN."