Observations concerning the Bacillus Aerogenes Capsulatus

IN November, 1891, one of us (Welch ~), at a meeting of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Medical Society, reported with demonstrations the discovery of a gas-forming bacillus found in the eml)hysematous tissues and blood of a man dead of aneurism of the aorta. In JulyAugust, 1892, Welch and Nuttall published a full report of this case and described the characters of the bacillus, ibr which they proposed the name Bacillus aerogenes capsulatus. Since this report there have been published, both in this country and in Europe, additional observations of the occurrence of this bacillus, and we have had the opportunity of studying a considerable number of cases in which this organism was found. We purpose in the present article, upon the basis of these published reports and of our further observations, to consider the distribution and characters of this micro-organism, and more particularly its relations to various affections and conditions of human beings. We must refer to the original paper of Welch and Nuttall for the full report of the case in which the bacillus aerogenes capsulatus was first ibund, for the detailed description of the morphological and cultural characters and the effects of intravenous inoculation of this bacillus, and for the deductions which were then drawn as to the probable relation of the bacillus to conditions characterized by the presence of gas in the blood and tissues. Here we shall give a summary of some of the salient points contained in this paper.