An Investigation of the Bacilli of the Capsulatus-mucosus Group

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Abstract
The Bacillus capsulatus-mucosus group may be said to have originated with the discovery of the pneumobacillus by Friedländer in 1883. This organism was isloated from the lung in a case of croupous pneumonia, and it is interesting to note, as can be ascertained from a study of the literature, that the discovery appears to have been of an accidental nature, and, as was pointed out by Weicheselbaum, that Friedläder had really confused it with the pneumococcus. Subsequently, numerous other bacilli, which showed such marked similarity to the pneumobacillus in morphological, cultural and biological characteristics as to render differentiation among them a matter of extreme difficulty, were isolated by various workers from widely different sources. In a paper published in 1896 Fricke furnishes a list of the representatives of this group of organisms which had up to that time been found. Many of these were subsequently used as type strains by later workers and some are still available and frequently employed.