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328 THE MICRO-ORQANISMS OF THE HUMAN MOUTH.
ORIGINAL INVESTIGATIONS CONCERNING PYORRHOEA
ALVEOLARIS.

Since 1885 I have examined thirty-nine cases of pyorrha?a
alveolaris in human beings and six in dogs, in order to determine
the presence of bacteria in the pus and in the root. The material
for this purpose was obtained in the following manner :
When the disease is so far advanced as to necessitate the ex-
traction of teeth, we first cleanse the crown and neck of the tooth,
as well as the adjacent gums, with 5 per cent, carbolic acid, and
then, after removing the antiseptic with sterilized cotton, care-
fully extract the tooth so as not to graze the gums, cheek, or
lips with the apex of the root ; a small quantity of pure, fresh
pus will be found on the root at the border between the dead
and the living pericementum. I used this matter, as well as
part of the periosteum of the apex of the root, in my culture-
experiments. In order to obtain in pure culture the bacteria
possibly contained in the cement-corpuscles or dentinal tubules,
I placed the tooth for a short time in a sublimate solution of
1-5000 (so as to destroy the germs on the surface). Hereupon
it was rinsed in a large quantity of sterilized water, dried wdth
sterilized blotting-paper, and the outer layers removed with a
sterilized knife. Small particles from the deeper layers were
then scattered on a culture-plate. If extraction is not desirable,
wo may proceed in the following manner : The neck of the tooth
is carefully cleansed and a slight pressure exerted on the gums
;
by this means the desired pus is pressed out between the gums
and the neck of the tooth.
I made dilution- and line-cultures on beef-w^ater peptone gela-
tine of twenty-seven teeth atfiicted with pyorrhoea alveolaris. In
two cases no growth took place ; in one it was but very stunted.
Of the remaining twenty-four cases, twelve grew very rapidly,
five but moderately, and seven slowdy. The gelatine was lique-
fied in five cases only. Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus de-
veloped but once ; likewise Staphylococcus pyogenes allnis.
Two formed yellow, one green coloring-matter ; the latter is
of interest from the fact that it forms no pigment when the
access of air is prevented ; if, however, the liquefied colorless
gelatine is shaken with air, a beautiful deep-green color almost