632 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Effects of Salts on Bacillus subtilis.* — C. B. Lipinan, after an 

 examination of the toxic and antagonistic effects of salts as related to 

 ammonification by Bacillus subtilis, summarises his results as follows : — 

 (1) Each of the four chlorides (CaCl 2 , MgCl 2 , KCI, NaCl) is toxic for 

 B. subtilis in the order given, the first being the most toxic and the 

 fourth the least. This is quite different from the results with higher 

 plants, where magnesium is the most toxic and calcium the least. 2. A 

 marked antagonism exists between Ca and K, Mg and Na, K and Na. 

 3. No antagonism exists between Mg and Ca, but the toxic effect of each 

 is increased by the addition of the other to it. This is just the opposite 

 of what has hitherto been found for plants. 



Presence of Anthrax in the Intestinal Contents of Animals.t 

 A. Cinca and G. Fenea examined the fasces of guinea-pigs, rabbits, sheep, 

 and pigs affected with anthrax, and almost invariably found that the 

 bacilli were present, and in numbers inversely proportional to the rapidity 

 of the disease. Apparently the intestine favours spore- formation, so that 

 anthrax cultures can be obtained by heating the fascal matter to 65° ; 

 under these conditions the colonies are more numerous the later the 

 examination is made. Hence a bacteriological examination of the fasces 

 of animals affords a certain method for deciding if an animal has died 

 of anthrax. 



Eisenbeeg, P. — Weitere Untersuchungen iiber Fetteinschliisse bei Bakterien. 



Centralbl. Bakt., lte Abt. Orig., li. (1909) pp. 115-21. 

 See also this Journal, ante, p. 261. 



Gougebot & Blanc he tiere — Endotoxines sporotrichosiques. Action pa- 

 thogene des corps microbiens tues et des corps residuels. 



C.B. Soc. Biol. Paris, lxvii. (1909) pp. 247-8. 



Nicolle, C. & E. Conseil — Fievre mediterraneenne chez le cobaye par in- 

 oculation sous-cutanee et ingestion de cultures. Tom. cit., pp. 267-9. 



* Bot. Gaz., xlviii. (1909) pp. 105-25 (5 figs.), 

 t C.B. Soc. Biol. Paris, lxvii. (1909) pp. 301- 2. 



