96 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Schizophyta. 

 Schizomycetes. 



Epidemic or Bacillary Dysentery.* — Firth finds that the so-called 

 dysentery bacilli obtained from dysenteric excreta are of two types, the 

 non-pathogenic and the pathogenic. The cultural features of the non- 

 pathogenic type is its ability to split up maltose, galactose and mannite, 

 forming acid but not producing gas, and also to produce indol. The 

 pathogenic type does not possess these characters. 



The non-pathogenic type should not be termed B. dysenterioe ; it 

 belongs to a variety known as B. typhosus simulam, and differs from 

 B. typhosus in not agglutinating with enteric serum, and its ability to 

 produce indol. 



• The non-pathogenic " pseudo-dysentery " bacilli occur commonly in 

 sewage and in most dysentery dejecta during the later stages of the 

 disease, after the acute symptoms have passed ; the true B. dysenterice 

 are present chiefly during the early acute stages of the affection. The 

 causative agent in the various cases of dysentery, among which the 

 author includes the typical acute dysentery of camps, ileo-colitis, and the 

 infective diarrhoeas of infants and adults, is an organism belonging to. 

 the pathogenic type of B. dy sen term. The toxic substances elaborated 

 by or contained in the bodies of these bacilli have a selective affinity 

 for the mucous membrane of the caecum and colon. He finds that, 

 although the subcutaneous inoculation of these bacilli and the toxic 

 substances into rabbits produce symptoms and intestinal lesions cha- 

 racteristic of epidemic dysentery in man, yet it is not possible by ordinary 

 ingestion or by direct introduction into various parts of the alimentary 

 canal, to produce intestinal lesions or general infection in these animals. 

 He suggests that the epithelial lining of the intestinal tract of the 

 rabbit has a high refractiveness to these bacilli. They produce dysen- 

 teric lesions in the monkey when administered with food. 



Spore-production by Bacillus Anthracis and other Spore-bearing 

 Bacteria.f — Selter finds that the most suitable media for the production 

 of spores with aerobes are broth, agar, and these with the addition of 

 2 p.c. lactose. He finds that an addition of 5 p.c. glycerin to the 

 medium has a inhibiting influence on spore-production, as also to a less 

 extent has 2 p.c. glucose. Several repeated cultivations on glycerin- 

 agar created an asporogenous strain of the organism. Spore-formation 

 is affected by deficiency of nourishment, but only if the bacilli are at 

 the height of their development ; the greater the supply of oxygen 

 the better for the spore-formation. Spore- formation of anaerobes is 

 favoured by the addition of glucose or glycerin. 



Bacteria of Flax " Retting." { — The object of flax retting is to 

 dissolve and soften the rind of the flax stalks, so that the bast bundles 

 can be easily separated from the wood ; it consists in the removal of the- 



* Trans. Path. Soc, lv. (1904) pp. 340-74. 



* Centralbl. Bakt., IteAbt. Orig., xxxvii. (1904) p. 388. 

 X K. Akad. Wetenscbappen, vi. (1904) pp. 462-80. 



