360 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



and will also exercise an opposing action on the injurious bacteria and 

 other members of the "additional flora." 



The author gives descriptions of the morphology and biology of the 

 new species Coccobacillu* prceacutus, Coccobacillus oviformis, Diplococcus 

 orbiculus, B. ventriosus, and B. capillosus that were isolated among the 

 " additional flora." 



Comparative Study of Spirochetes.* — v. Prowazek has described 

 various forms of spirochetes. («) Spirochete of tropical abscess ; in 

 the contents of the swelling, besides pyogenic micro-organisms were 

 found large spirochetes, resembling in form and movement those of 

 balanitis, though generally more slender, the terminal periplast was 

 more delicate and flagella-like ; longitudinal division was frequently 

 observed ; resting stages occur as with other spirochetes, the parasite 

 being twisted up into a tangle of deeply stained fragments ; taurocho- 

 late of soda (1 : 10) dissolves the spirochete. 



(b) Spirochete of stomatitis (S. buccalis). In a case of stomatitis the 

 author found a number of mouth spirochetes of large dimensions ; the 

 undulating membrane was well shown in macerated preparation, the 

 elementary fibrille being sometimes split up and resembling peritrichal 

 flagella ; resting phases were also seen. Besides S. buccalis and 

 S. dentium, the author found a third spirochete, which he regarded 

 as intermediate. 



(c) Framboesia spirochetes (S. pallidida), is stouter than S. pallida, 

 the undulations are not so stiff and regular ; the body is not so elastic, 

 and the ends are often bent into hooks, and a terminal flagellum is 

 seldom shown ; there is frequent longitudinal division. 



(d) Spirochetes of syphilis (S. pallida). In monkey syphilis the 

 spirochetes are generally fewer than in human syphilis. The resting 

 stage probably accounts for the long latent period of the disease. 

 Taurocholate of sodium dissolves the spirochetes ; syphilitic material 

 mixed with taurocholate of sodium for half an hour is no longer 

 infectious ; but if syphilitic material is injected simultaneously with 

 taurocholate of soda, infection is not prevented. 



(e) Spirochete Intra, occurred in the blood of the otter as broad, 

 band-like organisms with blunted ends, and showing in the blue stained 

 protoplasm four various sized chromatin fragments. 



The author concludes that spirochetes are distinguished from 

 bacteria by their behaviour with taurocholate of soda and saponin, by 

 their morphology, by their multiplication by longitudinal division, and 

 by their characteristic resting stage. 



Bacillus Endothrix.t — F. Gueguen isolated on two occasions an 

 organism from the hair of a patient suffering from alopecia. The 

 interior of the hairs exhibited a number of fine discontinuous longi- 

 tudinal strie ; staining with violet-dahlia and differentiating with 

 alcohol or Gram's method showed that these strie were formed of 

 short bacilli. "When planted on gelatin these bacilli developed chrome- 

 yellow colonies, composed of non-motile, short, round-ended rods in thin 

 capsules ; no spore-production was noted, though the body content was 



* Centralbl. Bakt., lte Abt. Ref., xl. (1908) p. 822. 

 t Comptes Rendus, cxlvi. (1908) p. 199. 



