ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 633 



serum, 100 c.cm. ; glucose, 30 p.c, 10 c.cm. ; tincture of litmus, 30 drops ; 

 sulphuric acid, 1 p.c, 3 c.cm. This medium is distributed into Petri 

 capsules and then coagulated in an autoclave for seventy-five to eighty 

 minutes. On removal from the autoclave the condensation is poured 

 off, and if necessary the capsules are dried in a stove. In this medium 

 the diphtheria colonies are red, the diphtheroids blue, while the con- 

 taminations do not grow at all or very scantily. 



Amygdalin as Nutriment for Aspergillus niger.*— H. J. Water- 

 men states that earlier observations have shown that amygdalin is 

 resolved into dextrose, benzaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide by the 

 extract from the cells of Aspergillus niger. This does not occur with 

 the living cells, and in these circumstances the amygdalin is absorbed 

 and assimilated by the mould which multiplies in the amygdalin solution. 

 The experiments now described show that the organism will not develop 

 if any considerable proportion of the amygdalin is already hydrolysed. 

 The retardation is mainly due to the benzaldehyde, the action of which 

 is possibly due to its ready solubility in fats, and on the other hand to 

 its rapid oxidation to benzoic acid. The behaviour of amygdalin and 

 its products of hydrolysis towards the cells of Aspergillus nigtr affords 

 an indication of a general method for the introduction of narcotic sub- 

 stances into living organisms. 



"■o"^ 



Spirochaeta forans.f — H. Reiter has isolated an organism, which he 

 calls Spirochseta forans, from the venous blood of a patient suffering from 

 pains in the joints, splenic enlargement, conjunctivitis, cystitis and fever 

 of a week's duration. The organism grew freely in ascitic fluid broth 

 and stained readily with alcoholic fuchsin, methylen-blue and Giemsa. 

 The number of coils displayed by the parasite va»ry with the age of the 

 cultures, the younger forms having the appearance of vibrios. The fully 

 grown S. forans is similar in appearance to Treponema pallidum, but is 

 stouter and stains with less difficulty. 



Growth of Anaerobic Bacilli in Fluid Media under apparently 

 Aerobic Conditions. J — S. R. Douglas and others record experiments 

 which demonstrate that anaerobic bacilli will grow both more rapidly and 

 also from a smaller implantation when, in addition to the usual anaerobic 

 conditions, some porous substance, such as potato or asbestos wool, is 

 added to the culture medium. 



Action of Spinal Fluid in Stimulating the Growth of the 

 Meningococcus.§ — C. Shearer records experiments the results of which 

 show that there is present in normal spinal fluid some substance that 

 greatly increases the rate of growth of the meningococcus on an artificial 

 culture medium. They clearly demonstrate that this power, in the case 

 of human spinal fluid, is relatively greater than that shown by blood or 



* Proc. K. Akad. Wetensch. Amsterdam, xix. (1917) pp. 922-7. See also Journ 

 Chem. Soc, i. (1917) p. 502. 



t Centralbl. f . Bakt., Ite Abt. Orig., xixix. (1917) pp. 176-80. 

 I Lancet, Oct. 6, 1917, pp. 530-2. 

 § Lancet (1917) ii. pp. 714-5. 



Dec. 19th, 1917 2 u 



