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"A bacterioscopic analysis was made of some of the dirt, as also of some of the
stains, with the following result:—
"(a.) Some of the dirt was paint.
"(b.) Some of it was dried farinaceous material, probably arrowroot.
"(c.) Some of it was distinctly fæcal matter, since in culture it yielded
"abundance of bacillus coli and bacillus enteritidis sporogenes.
"(d.) Some of the stains looked like old stains of urine. Chemical test for
"chlorides and for ammonia fully confirmed the surmise. Bacterioscopic analysis
"of such stain, with the view of discovering the presence of the bacillus typhosus
"(knowing that the urine of typhoid patients in the later stages contains this
"microbe, sometimes in great numbers), yielded highly important results, viz.,
"the cultures contained great abundance of colonies which in aspect and
'' constitution corresponded to the colonies of bacillus typhosus.
"Agglutination test was made, subjecting an emulsion of some of the above
"suspected colonies to the influence of blood serum of a typhoid immunised rabbit.
"One part of this blood serum added to forty parts of the emulsion of the suspected
"bacilli caused striking and complete agglutination in ten to twenty minutes.
"I have made all necessary sub-cultures in order to definitely decide the nature
"of the above colonies, but from the strikingly characteristic aspect of the colonies
"and from the decided nature of the agglutination, I think it extremely probable
"that we are dealing with the real bacillus typhosus.
"May 19 th, 1903.
"In continuation of yesterday's report I have to state that all further tests made
"with the bacillus, which was considered yesterday as highly probable to be bacillus
"typhosus, proved the microbe to be the true bacillus typhosus. I do not remember
"whether I mentioned it, but I do so now, viz., that two to three drops of the fluid
"emulsion of the stain on the blanket that we examined yielded innumerable
"colonies of the bacillus typhosus.
"E. Klein."
Dr. John T. Wilson, Medical Officer of Health, County of Lanark,
found it easy to isolate very active bacilli which respond to the tests for bacillus coli.
Dr. G. H. Fosbroke, Medical Officer of Health, County of Worcester,
reports that their County Bacteriologist examined them with a negative result.
Dr. H. Meredith Richards, Medical Officer of Health, Croydon.
(1.) They contained large quantities of the typical fine brick-red dust of South
Africa.
(2.) Patches of mud, dung (cow and horse), cart and candle grease and dried
food.
(3.) Some contained particles of straw, hay and South African pricle grass.
Bacteriological examination showed the presence of the bacillus subtilis, bacillus of
the proteus group and bacilli of the coli group. Bacillus typhosus was not
detected.