Abstract
The relation of foreign bodies to the persistence of bacteria in tissues has been repeatedly observed from the clinical standpoint, but few studies of this relationship have been made. Organisms may remain active or latent in an area about a foreign body, or those which have invaded the circulation may localize there, initiating or reviving a suppurative process. The presence of such substances appears to protect organisms in their vicinity from the normal phagocytic activities of the body. The mechanism by which protection is afforded and the response of the organism to this protection, is the purpose of this study. This, in turn, offers a means by which to develop the “hypothesis of Welch”, which emphasizes the importance of the changes undergone by bacteria in their conflict with the defensive powers of the host.
This investigation has no immediate relation to the question of the possible etiological importance of Bacillus proteus x 19 in typhus fever, but the organism was chosen because of the irregularity of its pathogenicity for guinea pigs, in the hope that conditions might be produced that would control this vagary and enable one to predict with certainty the outcome of a given experiment. The use of carbon was determined upon because of its recognized inert character and ready identification in the tissues. 1 cc. injection units of 10 per cent carbon suspension, bacteria from one-fourth of a 24 hour agar slant suspended in distilled water, or a mixture of the two, each of double strength, were introduced into the loose fascia of the back. The interaction of these two kinds of foreign bodies in the subcutaneous tissues of the guinea pig is outlined in the following summary.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.