234 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



first, a white deposit being formed later, the medium becoming clear and 

 of a slight alkaline reaction. There is good growth in milk without 

 clotting, even after a month, but the medium becomes viscous and 

 alkaline. The organism does not ferment glucose or lactose, and there 

 is no production of indol. The sarcina is non-motile, and possesses no 

 flagella, but the bundles are often seen joined together by filaments 

 which readily stain by ordinary dyes, and probably arise from the 

 viscous substance that surrounds the organism. A number of laboratory 

 animals received inoculations, and the pathogenicity of the organism 

 was established. 



The author considers that this sarcina is nearly allied to Sarcina 

 Loewenberg, and that it was the causative agent in the case of pemphigup. 



Behaviour of Bacteria to the Surface of Flowing- Water.* — 

 M. Rothermundt finds that the number of organisms on the surface 

 of flowing water varies inversely as the velocity of the stream ; the 

 number on the surface is greater than in the depth of the stream ; this 

 relation depending probably on the oxygen requirements of the bacteria. 

 The number of bacteria on the surface, in contrast to that of those in 

 the depth, undergoes great fluctuations within short time intervals, 

 depending on the intensity of the light, the number being lowest at 

 mid day, and highest at night ; this effect being due, not to the 

 bactericidal action of light, but to a negative heliotropism — a bacterial 

 photophobia. 



Etiology of (" Schaumorgane ") Foamy Organs.f — A. Ghon 

 and M. Sachs have isolated an organism from a case of foamy organs 

 which they describe as being distinct from previously described 

 organisms causing this condition (viz. B. serogenes capsulatus, B. phleg- 

 monis emphysematosa, B. cadaveris butyricus) although in many char- 

 acters it resembles them. In anaerobic cultures made from the liver 

 juice, the organism appeared as varying sized motile rods, either 

 straight or slightly curved and possessing numerous peritrichous flagella. 

 In cultures on glucose-agar, and also on other media, there appeared 

 a few rods with pear-shaped, ball or arrowpoint-like swellings ; screw- 

 like forms occurred in some young cultures, and in old fluid cultures 

 there were long slender unjointed threads. The organism stained with 

 ordinary dyes, and it seemed that only young forms were stained by 

 Gram's method. The rods formed spores situated more often at the 

 middle than at the ends. 



In an atmosphere of hydrogen good growth was obtained on glucose- 

 agar, and abundant gas was produced in shake cultures. No growth 

 occurred on aqueous agar with peptone and salt ; there was good 

 growth in gelatin, especially if glucose was added, the medium being 

 liquefied. In broth there was a diffuse clouding and copious deposit ; 

 milk was slowly clotted, with abundant gas formation. Growth was 

 obtained on solidified ascitic fluid, but the medium was never blackened 

 or liquefied. The organism did not possess a high degree of patho- 

 genicity for experimental animals. In a rabbit the foamy or sponge- 

 like condition of the liver was obtained on inoculation of the organism. 



* Centralbl.Bakt., 2te Abt., xxi. 1(1908) p. 523. 

 t Op. cit., lte Abt. Orig., xlviii.(1908) p. 396.; 



