62 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



and cachexia supervene, and thepatienl diesaftcra lapse of i wo or three 

 years. From the expressed juice of the affected glands, a spore-bearing 

 mould has been cultivated, which is pathogenic to laboratory animals. 

 On Sabouraud's maltose medium a growth of small prominent yellow 

 colonies becomes visible after some three days, and after 20 days a white 

 filamentous mass of spore-bearing hyplne develops. On maltose-agar, 

 after two days, small points appear, pale brown in colour with a smooth 

 surface and sharp edges. After 45 days aerial hyphae become visible, at 

 first white, but afterwards turning slightly yellow. The spores, from 

 2/j. to 3/x, in length, are arranged in clusters or chains. The hyphae 

 sometimes form bundles as much as 1 cm. in length by 1 mm. in dia- 

 meter. The name of " Adenomycosis druzi" is proposed for this new 

 mould, as the discoverer cannot find any previous description of a similar 

 organism in the literature. 





Report on Gas Gangrene.* — Sir A. Bowlbyand S. Rowland briefly 

 record their observations on the spreading gangrene which has occurred 

 among the wounded of all the armies now in France. Bacteriological 

 examinations were carried out by Rowland at the Mobile Field Labor- 

 atory, and a bacillus was isolated from a typical case for examination. 

 A culture inoculated into a guinea-pig killed the animal in eighteen 

 hours. Post-mortem there was found a gangrenous cellulitis from which 

 the infecting organism was recovered in pure culture. A second pig was 

 inoculated and sent to the Lister Institute for further investigation. 

 The animal arrived safely and died shortly afterwards. 



The view is held that this organism is identical with one that was 

 for some time confused with that of malignant oedema, known as the 

 bacillus of Ghon and Sach. A sample of earth from a trench was also 

 examined. The earth was shaken up with a little water and then 

 inoculated into a guinea-pig. . The animal, which died in eighteen 

 hours, also presented the features of a gangrenous cellulitis, and was found 

 to be infected throughout with a spore-bearing anaerobe belonging 

 to the same group. It is concluded that the gangrene found among 

 our wounded soldiers is directly due to infection introduced at the 

 time of the wound, and this is especially likely to occur if muddy 

 clothing has been carried in by the projectile, or if earth has been 

 carried in by the explosion. 



Thermoprecipitin Method in Diagnosis of Plague Cadavers.! 

 Charlotte E. Warner has applied the thermoprecipitin method of Ascoli 

 to the diagnosis of plague in rat cadavers with considerable success. 

 The technique follows the lines laid down by Ascoli in his investigations 

 with regard to anthrax. The extract prepared from plague-infected 

 material is placed in contact with a layer of immune plague serum, a 

 positive reaction being indicated by the appearance of a whitish ring at 

 the surface of contact. The reaction is specific, and if carried out with 

 suitable controls, the occurrence of a marked positive reaction is absolute 

 proof that the organ used for the preparation of the extract was infected 



* Brit. Med. Journ., 1914, No. 2813, pp. 911-12. 

 f Journ. Hygiene, xiv. (1914) pp. 360-70. 



