ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 361 



which became thick and dry and sank to the bottom of the tube, a frcsli 

 pellicle being re-formed and the process repeated ; the medium had an 

 •alkaline reaction, and possessed an unpleasant odour. On gelatin yellow 

 disc-like colonies appeared within 48 hours ; no liquefaction of the 

 medium occurred. No indol reaction could be obtained, but a reduction 

 •of nitrates was demonstrated. With glucose, maltose, and mannite it pro- 

 duced acid and gas ; with saccharose, lactose, and glycerin neither acid 

 nor gas formation occurred ; neutral red was completely decolorised 

 within 24 hours. It was pathogenic to guinea-pigs, rabbits, pigeons, 

 white mice, cats, and hedgehogs, and was obtained from the blood of 

 these animals after death. The author describes the methods he adopted 

 for immunising and for obtaining serum ; from a rabbit, after a series of 

 injections, he obtained a serum that agglutinated the bacilli in 80 minutes, 

 with a 1-500 dilution ; the bacillus was also clumped by anti-typhoid 

 ■serum in dilutions of 1-30. He considers that the organism belongs to 

 •a new species, and he has named it Bacillus catkida. 



Thermophilic Microflora of the Human Intestine.* — G. Bruini 

 reports a number of bacteriological examinations of human fasces. 

 From an adult he isolated 9 thermophilic micro-organisms, 7 varieties of 

 bacilli, and 2 varieties of streptotricheae ; 4 bacilli and 1 streptothrix 

 were absolute thermophils, all were essential aerobes, grew well on potato, 

 stained by Gram's method, and showed spore formation ; none were 

 pathogenic. From the faeces of a new-born child he isolated 6 thermo- 

 philic micro-organisms, 3 varieties of bacilli and 3 varieties of strepto- 

 tricheas, only one of which agreed with any of those he had isolated from 

 the fasces of the adult ; they were all essential aerobes, and stained by Gram's 

 method, and only one did not show spore formation ; none were patho- 

 genic. He gives details of the morphology and cultural characteristics 

 •of the micro-organisms he has isolated, and adds notes referring to the 

 researches by other workers on the thermophilic bacilli and streptotricheas 

 •occurring in nature. 



Biology of the Cholera Spirillum.f — W. B. Wherry has made a 

 study of the variations which occur in one culture of cholera spirillum, 

 and compared it with cultures from different sources. He finds that the 

 • morphology of the different cultures does not markedly vary if precautions 

 •are taken to make preparations from corresponding portions of growths. 

 His cultures were found to be specifically the same as shown by the 

 •Griiber-Durham and Pfeiffer reactions. 



The cholera spirillum is not a nitrifying organism, and the successful 

 •demonstration of the cholera red reaction in a solution of Witte's pepton 

 •depends upon the presence of a trace of nitrates. He finds that the type 

 •of liquefaction produced in gelatin is influenced by the reaction and 

 melting-point of the gelatin. Growth in the presence of carbohydrates 

 showed that the acids produced from glucose, maltose, and saccharose 

 •rapidly kill the cholera spirillum, whilst those produced from lactose and 

 starch are not toxic, at least, within a given time. 



* Centralbl. B;ikt., l ie Abt. Orig.. xxxviii. (1905) pp. 177 and 298. 

 t Bureau Gov. Lab. Mauila, No. 19, Oct. 1904. 



