On a chronic cholera carrier / by J.G. Adami, A. Vallee and G.E. Martineau.

  • Adami, J. George (John George), 1862-1926.
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: On a chronic cholera carrier / by J.G. Adami, A. Vallee and G.E. Martineau. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    extent by a repeated subculture. Nevertheless, our subsequent studies show that the diagnosis was correct. Here we would note that gelatin plates made from the surface of the eight-hour Dunham tubes gave in thirty-six hours an abundance of finely granular colonies, together with fewer colonies of a similar appearance to the naked eye, but, seen under the lower power, of a more coarsely granular type. Both forms presented the concentric layers noted by other observers and ascribed to commencing peripheral liquefaction: only a few showed at most depression of the surface colonies but without progressive development of a zone of liquefaction. There were no iobate surface colonies, no whetstone deeper colonies. The more coarsely granular, rounded colonies showed this concentric appearance, though not more markedly than did the others. This same want of liquefaction was true with gelatin stab cultures. Variation in liquefying power of different strains of the sp. cholera has been noted by many observers,* as again variation in the appearance of isolated colonies, but we were not prepared to find such deficiency in early growths. As above indicated, with repeated transfer from colonies of the more coarsely granular type showing the most marked concentric arrangement, we have eventually exalted the liquefying power and have obtained cultures which now, in every respect, conform to typical cholera spirilla. A litre bottle of drinking water from the water tanks of the Royal George gave negative results. In the meantime, Dr. Vallee was engaged independently at Quebec making periodical examination of the stools of the suspect, which were sent to him regularly from Grosse Isle. Almost from the moment of his return, the patient appeared to be wholly recovered and in excellent health, with well formed stools. But from these stools, by the employment of Dunham’s medium, the same motile, slightly curved form continued to be isolated, agreeing in general characters with those originally isolated by Dr. Adami, and, as with Dr. Adami’s forms, showing little liquefying power. Here it deserves note that on the fourth day after the isolation of the patient, his effects were forwarded to Montreal for examination. Those effects were curiously meagre. They were contained in a small, reed hand-basket and consisted of: three small, plain, cotton hand- kerchiefs; two larger coloured; one small rag; one briar pipe; one bottle of eye medicine with chopper and Russian label, and one small, paper-covered book of evangelical hymns (German). These, according *See Zlatogoroff’s observations given latter.