THE PATHOLOGY OF EPIDEMIC CEREBROSPINAL MENINGITIS.

Abstract

In 1887 Professor Weichselbaum1found a peculiar diplococcus which he called diplococcus intracellularis, in six cases of cerebrospinal meningitis, whose clinical histories corresponded exactly to that of the epidemic type of this disease, and not at all to that caused by the pneumococcus. He described these cocci as being particularly found within the cells of the exudate, always occuring in the form of a diplococcus with the opposite sides flattened. It grew best at body temperature, not well on blood or potato. Considerable confusion existed until 1895, when Jager2published his observations in the cases of ten soldiers dying of the epidemic form of the disease. During this period, up to the time of Jager's article, a number of articles appeared claiming that either all forms of meningitis were caused by the pneumococcus, and that this was but a localization of the general infection with this germ, or