ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 293 



of 24-hour sporing anthrax cultures, two milligrams per c.cm. of water, 

 were exposed to the rays, and cultures made upon agar and broth after 

 periods ranging from one to forty minutes. The great majority of 

 bacilli succumbed : among the survivors many retained their original 

 characters, but a few showed modification of type, which remained con- 

 stant. Coccal forms appeared, which, at the end of two months, showed 

 no signs of reversion. These were Gram-positive. Slender irregular 

 Gram-negative filaments were obtained in other cases. These neither 

 liquefied gelatin, nor clotted milk. They produced a disease completely 

 different from anthrax. Daily replanted, they showed no tendency to 

 revert to the original type, but it was found possible to convert them 

 into the coccal form. Animals inoculated with the coccal type so obtained 

 showed changes similar to those evoked by the Gram-negative filamentous 

 type. 



Treatment of Anthrax with Pyocyaneus Cultures.* — L. and C. 

 Fortineau, continuing the work of Woodhead and others upon the influ- 

 ence of the toxin of B. pyocyaneus upon anthrax injections in the rabbit, 

 have studied the method of action of the soluble substances secreted by 

 the B. pyocyaneus, and find that the curative substance is of a lipoid 

 nature. They have obtained good results in cases of malignant pustule, 

 and in other types of anthrax with injections of killed pyocyaneus 

 cultures. 



Cultivation of Johne's Bacillus.f — In previous papers, F. W. 

 Twort and G. L. Y. Ingram have described their method of cultivation 

 of this organism on media containing dead acid-fast bacilli. The sub- 

 stance essential for the growth of Johne's bacillus was extracted from 

 acid-fast bacilli. The present communication describes researches 

 undertaken in order to ascertain whether this essential substance occurs 

 naturally in cattle-food or in other vegetable substances. Watery and 

 alcoholic extracts were made from a large number of seeds and spices, 

 fungi, seaweeds, fruits, and roots. Each extract was incorporated in a 

 glycerinated egg-medium. Negative results were obtained in the great 

 majority of cases. Some growth was obtained on media containing 

 extracts of linseed, barley, wheat, maize, oats, dari, culinary pea, physo- 

 stigma bean, fig-seeds, out of 75 varieties of seeds and spices, on extract 

 of Cantharellus aurantiacus alone out of 31 fungi. Nine seaweeds were 

 tried, but all gave negative results. In a final series extracts from a 

 number of fruits, roots, and animal substances, twenty-two varieties in 

 all, were tried, and positive results were obtained with alcohoHc extract 

 of tamarinds and with the chloroform soluble portion of the alcoholic 

 extracts of figs and raisins. In no case except that of the fungus, was 

 growth obtained comparable with that on media containing acid-fast 

 detritus. 



Phagocytosis of Plague Bacilli.J — R. St.J. Brooks has carried 

 out investigations in order to ascertain the influence of the medium on 



* Cornptes Rendus, clviii. (1914) pp. 1035-7. 



t Centralbl. Bakt., lte Abt. Orig., lxxiii. (1914) pp. 277-83. 



t Journ. of Hygiene, xiii. (1914) Plague Suppl. No. 3, pp. 412-17. 



