ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 695 



Bacteria and Hemp.* — V. Peglione refers to a paper published in 

 1896, in which he described a diseased condition of the stalk of the 

 hemp, characterised by disorganisation of the cuticle and the cortical 

 testa, and by the presence in the altered, tissues of a micro-organism 

 resembling the B. cubonianus. The specificity of this pathological 

 manifestation has been since doubted, chiefly on account of the fact that 

 the macroscopical appearances of the lesion may be confused with those 

 produced by hail, and the author regrets that he has had no oppor- 

 tunities of settling this particular point. 



He has observed numerous hemp plants, grown in unfavourable 

 conditions (e.g. imperfect preparation of the soil or late sowing, followed 

 by bad climatic conditions), in which numerous leaves, and sometimes 

 the top or tuft of the plant, exhibit a condition termed by the peasants 

 " brusone." These leaves are marked with spots of irregular form, at 

 first yellowish, afterwards becoming black, and in a few days affecting 

 the greater part of the surface of the leaf, and at the same time the leaf- 

 tissue becomes dry and fragile. When this stage is reached, some of the 

 leaf-veins may become wrinkled or warped ; the peripheral part of the 

 spot presents a light colour and an indistinct edge, as is observed in the 

 spots produced by moulds. When the spots reach a certain size, 

 the dry tissues split and separate, producing perforations. Placing the 

 diseased leaves upon discs of blotting-paper, enclosed in Petri's dishes, 

 a slight moisture is observed in those parts of the paper under the spots 

 on the leaves in a few hours, and soon after large yellow drops appear, 

 which microscopically show pure colonies of diplococci. 



Sections of the leaves, hardened in alcohol and treated for a time 

 with dilute solution of caustic potash (afterwards neutralised by lactic 

 acid), show colonies of micro-organisms in the intercellular spaces of 

 the tissue, especially abundant in the peripheral parts of the spots and 

 on the limits of sound tissue. The bacteria are found principally in 

 hemp of stunted growth, especially when the soil has been insufficiently 

 prepared, and it is frequent in plants grown in " crude" soil. Climatic 

 conditions also exert a decisive influence on the spread and severity of 

 the infection, this year the condition being quite common. The author 

 has not yet determined the behaviour of the microbe outside the plant, 

 or whether it is identical with the B. cubonianus. 



Bacteriology of Human Fseces.f — A. Klein records some of the 

 results of his researches to determine the total number of bacteria pre- 

 sent in the human fasces. His conclusions may be briefly summed up 

 as follows : — 



(1) Healthy adults excrete much greater numbers of bacteria in the 

 faeces every 24 hours than had hitherto been suspected, amounting to 

 8800 milliards, responsible for 0-31 p.c. of the solid matter of the 

 faeces. 



(2) Of these, however, only about 1 p.c. are living and capable of 

 multiplication if transferred to suitable media: the remainder are dead. 



(3) Anti-bacterial action can be demonstrated in most faaces, the 

 bacterial power, even outside the body at 37° C, often diminishing the 

 number of living germs, or at least inhibiting their growth. 



* Atti Reale Accad. Lincei, xi. (1902) pp. 32-4. 



t Proc. K. Akad. Wetenschappen te Amsterdam, May 25th, 1901. 



