ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 343 



rats (Mm decumans), producing changes in the skin and lymph-glands 

 like those of leprosy, and having in its histological characters many 

 resemblances to that disease. 



New Pathogenic Microbe of the Diphtheria Bacillus Group* — 

 E. Klein describes a new pathogenic bacterium, Bact. muris, which he 

 isolated from the hepaticised lung of the white rat. It is pathogenic 

 for rats and guinea-pigs and in its staining capacity, morphology, and 

 ■cultural reactions is very nearly related to the Klebs-Loeffler bacillus. 



Differentiation of the Diphtheria and Pseudo-Diphtheria Bacillus.t 

 — J. Bronstein and G. W. Griinblatt show how Mankowski's reagent, 

 which was invented for distinguishing the typhus bacillus from the coli 

 bacillus, can also be used for differentiating the diphtheria and pseudo- 

 diphtheria bacilli. A few drops of this reagent are added to bouillon 

 cultures of these two forms, when that of Bac. Loeffleri becomes red 

 {rubinrot) and that of the pseudo-diphtheria bacilli, green. 



Rapid Diagnosis of Typhus Bacilli. $ — Georg Jochmann has. made 

 •experiments with the medium recommended by Weil for the rapid 

 ■diagnosis of typhus bacilli and confirms Weil's statement that these 

 bacilli when grown on his medium at 36°-37'5 C. show colonies of 

 characteristic form after only 12 hours. Jochmann finds that though 

 such colonies are usually of typhus bacilli, yet sometimes bacilli of the 

 coli-class form similarly shaped colonies. Reliance must therefore not 

 be placed on the appearance alone of the colonies, but the differential 

 diagnostic method must be used for confirmation. 



Characters of Meningococcus intracellularis.s — H. Jaeger, in a 

 somewhat polemical article, reiterates his views on the cause of epidemic 

 •cerebro-spinal meningitis, and casts doubt on the views put forward by 

 Albrecht and Ghon in relation to Diplococcus Weichselbaum. 



Pneumococcus which liquefies Gelatin. — A. Kindborg|| describes 

 from a case of croupous pneumonia a pneumococcus, which has the dis- 

 tinguishing peculiarity of liquefying gelatin. It grows easily on all the 

 usual media, and is pathogenic for white mice but not for rabbits. 

 Only two of the numerous forms described under pneumococcus appear 

 to have this power of liquefying gelatin, namely that described by 

 Kruse and Pansini, and that described by Eyre and Washbourn. 



New Bacterium in freshly-drawn Milk. If — F. C. Harrison and 

 M. dimming describe a new species, Bact. halofaciens, which is of fre- 

 quent occurrence in fore and after milk. It occurs singly, is motile, 

 and forms no spores ; has an optimum temperature 37° ; is aerobic and 

 facultative anaerobic ; is slow to liquefy gelatin ; and white, dirty 

 brown, and finally yellow in colour. It stains evenly with anilin dyes. 



It approaches Bact. annulatum Wright, but differs in several details. 

 Its name recalls the characteristic halo found in gelatin cultures. The 

 ilavour of butter made from cream ripened with a culture of the new 

 bacterium was not strong but quite disagreeable. 



* Centralbl. Bakt, xxxiii. (1903) pp. 488-9. 



t Op. cit., xxxii. pp. 425-8. % Tom. cit., pp. 460-6. 



§ On. cit., xxxii. (1902) pp. 23-4. || Tom. cit., pp. 573-6. 



f Joum. Appl. Micr., v. (1902) p. 2033. 



