ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 261 



cultivations from those more remote remain sterile, an accurate expression 

 for the powers of locomotion of the organism may be obtained. 



The author gives tables showing marked differences between the 

 figures obtained in observations of non-motile and motile organisms. 

 lie shows that, by his method, the influence of abnormal chemical and 

 physical conditions upon the motility of organisms may be demonstrated. 

 As contrasted with procedures which depend upon continuous observa- 

 tions and eye-pieces bearing scales, he claims that his plan is suited for 

 observations extending over several hours, and further, that by it, error 

 consequent upon variations in the energy of individual organisms are 

 obviated. Iu conclusion, it is stated that, by this means, pure cultures 

 of organisms, differing in their powers of movement, may readily be 

 obtained. 



Methods of Investigating Oriental Sore.* — C. Nicolle and 

 L. Manceaux give an account of their researches upon some cases of this 

 condition occurring at Gafsa. The experiments were carried out at the 

 Pasteur Institute at Tunis. Leishmania tropica, the causal organism, 

 was isolated by puncture of some of these sores in the non-ulcerated stage, 

 by means of a syringe needle or a capillary glass pipette. The material 

 was inoculated into Novy-MacNeal tubes of the classical formula. At 

 other times a simplified formula was used. These cultures were put into 

 an incubator at 19°-23°, improvised from two biscuit boxes. After seven 

 days, they were transported across the desert to the laboratory. 



In order to obtain a pure culture it was necessary to paint the 

 surface of the lesion with several applications of tincture of iodine. 

 The organism grows at 20°-22°, rather more rapidly than the parasite of 

 Kala-Azar. On the fourth day, flagellate forms appear, which begin at 

 once to divide. There is luxuriant growth on the eighth to the tenth 

 day. Soon the rosettes appear, and form masses just visible to the 

 naked eye. Then the infusoria tend more and more to agglutination 

 and immobilization, and the culture is dead at the end of two months. It 

 was found possible, however, to keep the organisms alive by repeated 

 subculturing. Cultivations were made on other media, but no important 

 results were obtained. The microscopical appearances of this parasite 

 differ in no way from that of Kala-Azar. 



Rearing Sterile Flies.t — Eng. Wollman, in a contribution to the 

 knowledge of the part played by microbes in the alimentary canal, gives 

 the technique he adopted in rearing flies under sterile conditions. The 

 eggs of Calliphora vomitoria sterilized in from 1-4 per 1000 sublimate, 

 were placed on damped tufts of glass-wool, and then spread out by means 

 of brushes. The glass-wool was then rolled up cylinder-wise, and the ends 

 turned in. The whole was then tied up and placed in a tube, wherein it 

 was exposed to alternate currents of sublimate and sterile water. The 

 glass-wool was next placed in a Petri's capsule, the ligature was removed, 

 and the mass unrolled. This done, the eggs were transferred one by 

 one to tubes containing sterilized meat. Three kinds of controls were 

 used. The cultivation tubes were tested from time to time, and those 

 that were contaminated at once rejected. 



* Ann. Inst. Pasteur, xxiv. (1910) pp. 673-80. 

 t Op. cit. xxv. (1911) pp. 79-88 (2 figs.). 



