242 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



with the " pigment granules " present in the liver, spleen, and 

 blood of persons who have Buffered from malarial diseases ; 

 and by cultivating such granules from a human liver Lauri 

 obtained a Zoogkea. On the basis of these observations, 

 the prevalence of malaria at certain seasons is explained 

 by the immense numbers of sphserobacteria in the air, rising 

 from the dead and decaying algse as the waters sink in the 

 marshy pools, and which, swept hither and thither by the 

 wind, excite malarial diseases when they penetrate into the 

 human body. 



The Bacteria of Denmark have recently been studied by 

 Dr. Eugene Warming, and an abstract of his paper upon them 

 is given in the Journal of Botany for December, 1876. All 

 along the Danish coast there is found, during calm weather, 

 a red coloration of the water close to the shore, chiefly due 

 to Bacterium sulpJiuratum, under which name are united a 

 number of forms, appearing, 1st, as spheres (Monas vinosa, 

 E.) ; 2d, as roundish bodies with constriction and granules at 

 the ends (Monas Warmingii, Cohn) ; 3d, like Monas vinosa, 

 but crowded with sulphur grains (Monas erubescens, E.) ; 4th, 

 long, narrow, cylindrical, and filled with sulphur grains 

 (Rhabdomonas rosea, Cohn) ; Anally, the series is closed by 

 a spiral form. Besides these, many other species are pretty 

 fully described. 



In a letter addressed to the Secretary of the Royal Socie- 

 ty, London, under date February 14, 1877, Dr. Tyndall states 

 that heat discontinuously applied is a "germicide" and that, 

 even in the midst of a virulently infective atmosphere, it is 

 possible to sterilize all infusions by a temperature lower than 

 that of boiling water. This is effected, however, not by a 

 simple substitution of time for intensity, but depends solely 

 upon the manner in which the heat is applied. The secret 

 of success is to apply the heat for a period not exceeding the 

 fraction of a minute in duration, during the period of laten- 

 cy preceding the clouding of infusions into visible Bacteria, 

 and while the germs are being prepared for their emergence 

 into the finished organism. As they reach the end of this 

 period successively, the heating process must be repeated at 

 intervals, so that the softened and vivified germs on the 

 point of passing into active life are killed as they arrive 

 successively at this stage. After a number of repetitions 



