348 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



organisms thus introduced into the alimentary tract being subsequently 

 recovered from the mesenteric glands, and occasionally found associated 

 with tbe B. coli communis. 



The author lays great stress on the strictly aseptic conditions under 

 which the material for examination was collected : the portions of tissue 

 were removed by means of sterile instruments after searing the surface 

 and surrounding tissues and organs with a red-hot cautery iron. 

 Rogozinski mentions that in seven of his early experiments he em- 

 ployed the Paquelin's thermo-cautery, but as he invariably failed to 

 obtain a positive result, he came to the conclusion that the heat gene- 

 rated was too great, and consequently caused the death of the organisms 

 in the interior of the glands ; he therefore discontinued its use. 



In microscopical sections of the fresh glands the author was unable 

 to demonstrate the presence of micro-organisms. He therefore adopted 

 the method of transferring portions of gland -substance directly from 

 the animal to tubes of nutrient broth, and allowing them to incubate at 

 37° C. for from 4 to 24 hours. Occasionally the broth remained clear 

 throughout, but often showed evidence of growth. Microscopical sec- 

 tions of the gland-substance treated in this manner invariably showed 

 the presence of bacteria. 



Micro-organisms in the Systemic Circulation. * — Fiitterer re- 

 marks that although it is quite proved that micro-organisms which have 

 penetrated to the portal vein pass into the systemic circulation within 

 less than a minute, and after the lapse of a very few minutes the liver 

 and kidneys, especially the former orgau, have commenced their separa- 

 tion and elimination, this fact so far has not been sufficiently considered. 



Plasmoptysis.f — Fischer describes the processes which accompany 

 and precede the granular disintegration of bacteria in serum, chiefly in 

 connection with the V. cholerse. First, a distinct but irregular swelling- 

 up of the cell takes place, followed by the extrusion of a small refractile 

 globule of protoplasm from one pole of the cell — usually that bearing 

 the flagellum — and only rarely from the side. He explains this method 

 of extrusion on the assumption that the swollen protoplasm leaves the 

 cell membrane by means of the pore through which the flagellum passes. 

 Fischer terms this process Plasmoptysis, and states that bacteria undergo 

 the process in the serum of the rat, the ox, and the pig ; and it may aUo 

 usually be observed whenever bacteria are transferred from a dilute to a 

 more concentrated solution, as, for instance, from 0*75 p.c. to 2 p.c. or 

 2 • 5 p.c. salt solution. 



Agglutination of the Tubercle Bacillus.J — Beck and Eabinowitsch 

 repeated the experiments of Arloing and Courmont, who as far back as 

 1898 had stated that the agglutination of cultivations of the B. tuber- 

 culosis (grown in 6 p.c. glycerin-broth) by means of the blood-serum 

 of the patient, afforded a means of early diagnosis of tuberculous 

 lesions. 



* Berlin. Klin. Wochenschr., xxxviii. pp. 58-9. See Bot. Centralbl., lxxxviii. 

 (1901) p. 396. 



t Zeitbchr. f. Hygiene u. Infekt., xxxv. (1900). See Bot. Centralbl., lxxxviii. 

 (1901) pp. 394-5. 



♦ Zeitschr. f. Hvgiene u. Infekt., xxxvii. (1901) p. 203. See Bot. Centralbl., 

 lxxxviii. (1901) p. 312. 



