ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 401 



coccus — is assumed to be merely a stage in the life-history of the 

 organism. This meningococcal form is not considered to be the one in 

 which the disease is transmitted, the author regarding the diphtheroid 

 form as being the infective agent. [The number of observations on 

 which the author's conclusions are based appears to be very limited. 

 The possibility that he was dealing with mixed organisms and con- 

 taminations readily suggests itself.] 



Coccobacillus verodunensis.* — A. Besredka describes an organism 

 which occurs in septic wounds. It is an ovoid coccobacillus, resembling 

 the bacillus of plague, is about 2 /a long and 1 fx broad, and in the fresh 

 state is surrounded by a halo. It is motile. It is easily stained, but 

 not by Gram's method. The staining is markedly polar. It grows on 

 the ordinary media, both aerobically and anaerobically. Broth becomes 

 turbid at first, and later a deposit forms. On agar the colonies are round 

 and transparent, much like those of typhoid. Gelatin is not liquefied. 

 Milk is not coagulated. Gas is formed in lactose agar. It is virulent 

 to rabbits and guinea-pigs. By immunising these animals an anti- 

 coccobacillary serum was obtained, and this was found to possess very 

 marked preventive properties. 



* C.R. Soc. Biol. Paris, lxxviii. (1915) pp. 288-90. 



