On the value of the different bacteriological methods of diagnosis of typhoid fever / by Sheridan Delépine.

  • Auguste Sheridan Delépine
Date:
[1897]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the value of the different bacteriological methods of diagnosis of typhoid fever / by Sheridan Delépine. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    Widal had been put in print (see Semaine Medicale, July 1, 1895, p. 259, and July 29, p. 295). I will give the account of these methods as taken from the latter communication. A Rapid Method.—To 10 drop3 of a neutral bouillon culture of the Eberth's bacillus (24 or 48 hours old) is added 1 drop of blood serum separated from blood obtained from the finger of the patient. These are thoroughly mixed in the well sterilised mixing cell of the hematimetre. A drop of the mixture is taken and placed on a slide, covered, and examined at once under the microscope. A drop of the culture to which serum has not been added is used as a control. If the bacilli immediately form clumps, taking on the appearance of so many islands in an archipelago, a positive diagnosis can be made at once. If the bacilli remain mobile, a typical reaction may not be obtained till after a quarter or half hour have elapsed. If the clumps, though characteristic, are not compact enough, it may be well to examine the preparation after a few hours. A Sloio Method.—This is the method which was used by Widal in his first observations, and which he gave in his first communication. Some blood is obtained from a vein. One part of the serum under examination is mixed with 10 or 15 parts of bouillon. This mixture is inoculated with the typhoid bacillus. It is then incubated at a tempera- ture of 37° C. ; 24 hours after, in the case of a positive reaction, the bouillon is clear, and a precipitate has formed at the bottom of the tube. This precipitate is composed of well-formed clumps. This, as will be seen, differs from Charrin and Rogers' experiments with the bacillus pyocyaneus (1889) in that the serum is diluted. When the serum does not come from a typhoid patient the fluid at the end of 24 hours is uniformly turbid. Widal has also used a method similar to that described by Gruber and Durham, and which therefore does not require to be mentioned again, the two referred to here are those which he has chiefly employed. (5) Griinbaum's Method—Dr. Grunbaum's methodised by him early in the year, was published only on the 19th of September, 1896. He collects the blood in a special U-shaped capillary tube. The blood is centrifugalised. The separated blood serum is blown out on a slide. By means of a special graduated pipette the blood serum is diluted 16 times with bouillon and thoroughly mixed with it. Au emulsion of the typhoid bacillus is made by mixing a platinum loopful of a 20 hours old culture of the typhoid bacillus on rather dry agar, and 1 ccni. of bouillon. A small drop of the emulsion is placed on a cover glass. Another drop of the diluted serum, as nearly as possible of the same size as the other drop, is mixed with it. This mixture is made into a hanging drop preparation, which is examined with an immersion lens. If the reaction (immobilisation aud clumping) is observed within 30
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