^96 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



scarlatina. Having previously failed to obtain a specific agglutinating 

 reaction, they. attempted, to demonstrate a sensibilisatrice for the strepto- 

 cocci. Serum obtained from scarlatina patients was heated to 5 G° C. 

 20 drops of this were then mixed with 4-7 drops of serum of the guinea- 

 pig, which supplied the necessary alexine. 10-20 drops of a culture of 

 the streptococcus were added, and after five hours sensitised red blood 

 corpuscles ((/lobules sensibilises) of the rabbit. The reaction showed 

 itself very soon. The results of the experiments were that in none of 

 "the sera employed did there appear to be a sensibilisatrice either for 

 streptococci isolated from the heart's blood in fatal cases, or for their 

 proper streptococci isolated from the throat. The authors are of opinion 

 that the streptococcus met with in scarlatina is not specific to this 

 disease. 



Antistreptococcic Serum and its Mode of Action.* — Besredka has 

 prepared antistreptococcic serum by sowing and preserving different 

 varieties of streptococci in a mixture of horse serum, heated for half an 

 hour at 5(J° C, and bouillon (Martin) in equal parts. From these 

 cultures are made, in Roux's flasks, on agar to which 1-1 ■ 5 c.cm. horse 

 serum, heated, has been added one hour before inoculation. Each in- 

 jection into the horse contains a mixture of cultures of 6-8 streptococci. 

 Of this mixture all varieties save one are from a human source ; this one 

 has been caused to acquire a heightened virulence by a series of passages 

 through animals. It is inferred that this virulent streptococcus may 

 serve as an indicator of the state of immunity of the horse against the 

 totality 'of the streptococci. Serum obtained from a horse so treated is 

 preventive. It, unlike Aronson's serum, contains fixateur. A serum is 

 then able to be active without containing fixateur, and is able to contain 

 fixateur without on tihat account being active. The action of the serum 

 is apparently to stimulate the leucocytes. 



Fatal Infection by a Hitherto Undescribed Chromogenic Bac- 

 terium : Bacillus aureus foetidus.f — Under this name M. Herzog de- 

 scribes a micro-organism obtained from the body of a Filippino who had 

 died rather suddenly. It is a non-sporing, non-motile, encapsulated 

 short rod. It tends to polar staining, and is negative to Gram. On 

 solid media it produces golden yellow pigment. It liquefies gelatin. 

 It develops under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions, and the cul- 

 tures have a very foetid, cheesy and somewhat cadaverous smell. In 

 animal experiments it was not found to be very highly pathogenic. The 

 author concludes that Bacillus aureus fcetidus is ordinarily a saprophyte. 



Role of Microbes in Alcoholic Fermentation which Stoklasa 

 attributes to the Zymase isolated from Vegetable or Animal 

 Tissues.:]:— From experiments on this subject, P. Maze and A. Perrier 

 conclude that the results obtained hy Stoklasa are accurate, if one only 

 considers the nature of the fermentations which appear in solutions of 

 glucose to which vegetable or animal extracts have been added ; but the 

 origin of the diastases so acting is quite other than that which they 

 indicate, being bacterial. 



'* Ann. Inst. Pasteur, xvii. (1904) pp. 3G3-72. 

 t Rep. Bureau Gov. Lab., Manila, 1904. 

 % Ann. Inst. Pasteur, sv.iii. (1904.) pp. 382-4. 



