If acute rheumatism (by which term I refer only to that affection that is now very generally regarded as a disease sui generis, variously designated as "true rheumatism," "rheu-matic fever," " acute rheumatism," &c.) is an infective disease due to a specific microorganism , it follows that there are portals by which the infecting agent gains entrance to the tissues, and it seems probable that t...
