454 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



the gelatin in such a way that it is impossible to solidify it by cooling, 

 and the liquefaction proceeds pari passu with the amount of casease. 



New Pathogenic Anaerobic Bacillus.* — N. Harris makes a pre- 

 liminary report on a hitherto uudescribed bacillus which was isolated 

 from a liver abscess. In anaerobic cultures in hydrocele fluid there 

 developed colonies which, on microscopical examination, showed organ- 

 isms, chiefly bacilli, but also cocci and filament forms. The bacillus, 

 for which the name B. mortiferus is proposed, is non-motile, is de- 

 colorised by Gram's method, does not liquefy gelatin or form spores. 

 It is killed in ten minutes at 50° C. It exhales a strongly faecal odour, 

 and forms gas. In rabbits and guinea-pigs it reproduces lesions similar 

 to those found in the human subject. 



Secondary Infection by Bacillus niesentericus.f — E. Sacquepee 

 records some observations on typhoid fever patients which indicate tho 

 invasion of B. mesentericus. The symptoms somewhat resembled those 

 of malaria, but no heematozoa were found. B. mesentericus was culti- 

 vated from the blood. The cultures were made in bouillon, on agar, 

 and on potato. At first the organism was somewhat modified, but after 

 several transfers exhibited its classical cultural and morphological 

 features. It is presumed that the microbe gained entrance through the 

 ulcerated surface of the intestine. 



Chemical Action of Bacillus coli communis and Similar Organisms 

 on Carbohydrates and Allied Compounds.^ — A. Harden finds that B. 

 coli com. ferments glucose with production of a quantity of lactic acid 

 corresponding to rather less than half the sugar, and of alcohol and 

 acetic acid in approximately equivalent amounts, each representing 

 about one-sixth of the carbon of the sugar. Small amounts of succinic 

 and formic acids are also produced, and carbon dioxide and hydrogen 

 evolved. B. typhosus produces the same products from glucose, but 

 yields a large amount of formic acid and no gas. Some of the abnormal 

 forms of B. coli com. act in a similar manner on glucose ; others produce 

 the same substances but in entirely different proportions. d-Fructose 

 yields the same products of fermentation by B. coli as glucose, and 

 Z-arabinose and ^-galactose also yield Z-lactic acid. Mannitol yields 

 a much larger proportion of alcohol (26-29 p.c.), and a much smaller 

 amount of lactic and acetic acids. The production of alcohol by this 

 organism therefore appears to depend on the presence of the group 

 CH 2 (OH).CH.OH,in the compound to be fermented. Glycerol, which 

 also contains this group, yields nearly half its weight of alcohol when 

 fermented by the same organisms. Formic acid is decomposed into 

 carbon dioxide and hydrogen, but lactic acid is not attacked, and hence 

 the active lactic acid is probably not produced by the selective decom- 

 position of previously formed inactive acid. A\ hen asparagin is the 

 sole nitrogenous nourishment, glucose and mannitol are fermented as 

 usual by this organism, but a large proportion of the hydrogen is 

 absorbed, and reduces the asparaginic acid to ammonium succinate. 



* Proc. Soc. Amer. Bacteriol., 1900. See Centralbl. Bakt., 1" Abt., xxii. (1901) 

 p. 447. t Ann. Inst. Pasteur, xv. (1901) pp. 261-5. 



X Proc. Chem. Soc, xvii. (1901) pp. 57-9; also Journ. Chem. Soc, lxxix. (1901) 

 Abstr. ii. pp. 610-28. 



