ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 541 



bacteria a thiosulphate takes the place of the carbon compound usually 

 concerned in the respiration of other plants. 



Staining of Streptotrichacese.* — E. Fuchs states as the result of 

 his investigations, that staining by methods hitherto supposed to be 

 specific for tubercle-bacillus and allied species, is a general character 

 of the Streptotrichaceae. These results confirm Zupnik's view as to 

 the close relationship between these two groups of bacteria. 



Resisting Powers of Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus.j — F. W. 

 Andrewea describes observations illustrating the remarkable resisting 

 powers of this organism to mercuric salts. A strain of this coccus in 

 broth cultures resisted 1 in 500 perchloride of mercury for 45 minutes, 

 and in pure water for 12^ minutes. By repeated passages through 

 the perchloride a strain was produced with increased powers of resist- 

 ance, withstanding 1 in 500 of the perchloride in pure water for 

 20 minutes. The resistance to biniodide of mercury was as great, but 

 it did not extend to antiseptics of other groups. 



Immunising Effects of Contents of Typhoid Bacillus.! — Allan 

 Macfadyen finds from experiments on the monkey that by the injection 

 of the intracellular juices of the typhoid organism it is possible to 

 obtain a serum with both antibacterial and antitoxic properties ; and 

 that such a serum possesses curative and preventive properties as regards 

 the typhoid bacillus, and an intracellular toxin present in the same 

 organism. The author believes that the results of this research afford 

 for the first time proof that, in the case of one species of pathogenic 

 bacterium, the intracellular juices of the organism, when injected into 

 a suitable animal, give rise to the production of a serum which is both 

 bactericidal to the organism itself, and antitoxic as regards a toxin con- 

 tained in its substance. How far such properties of the cell-juice are 

 shared by other pathogenic microbes must be the subject of further 

 inquiry. 



* Centralbl. Bakt., xxxiii. (1903) pp. 649-53. 



t Brit. Med. Journ., 1903, i. p. 198. 



X Proc. Roy. Soc, lxxi. (1903) pp. 351-2. 



• I gj > I m 



Aug. 19th, 190$ 2 N 



