ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC 687 



human and bovine types are identical. Material from a number of 

 eases of phthisis were inoculated into guinea-pigB. Simultaneous sub- 

 cutaneous and intraperitoneal inoculations of material from these guinea- 

 pigs into cattle produced lesions from which were obtained bacilli, which 

 were shown both by inoculations and culture to belong to the bovine 

 type, although the bacilli obtained from the patients showed all the 

 characters of human tubercle. In one case inoculation into cattle of a 

 pure culture of tubercle bacilli of the human type, obtained from a 

 patient suffering from tubercle of the knee-joint, produced lesions from 

 which bovine bacilli were isolated. 



Alopecia areata of Bacterial Origin.* — F. Guegueu has found that 

 certain cases of recurrent alopecia are due to the invasion of the hairs 

 by a micro-organism, to which he has given the name Bacillus endothrix. 

 Microscopical examination of the diseased hairs shows the presence of 

 striations, which are resolved, under a high power, into chains of short 

 bacilli. In a cross section of the hair these appear as cocci. A small 

 number of these organisms are found in the follicles. In order to obtain 

 a growth of B. endothrix short sections of hair are planted on end upon 

 the surface of a peptone-gelatin slope, the outside of the hair having been 

 freed previously from adherent contaminating organisms. Small chrome- 

 yellow colonies appear in 48 hours. Morphologically the organisms are 

 short, capsulated, Gram -positive organisms, which possess neither spores 

 nor flagella. In older cultures there is a marked tendency to pleomor- 

 phism. Gelatin is not liquefied, sugars are not fermented. A number of 

 inoculation experiments have been performed with negative results. 



Studies of the Intestinal Flora.f — A. Distaso has made a study of 

 certain bacteria, components of the intestinal flora, which can survive in 

 an acid medium and decompose carbohydrates, producing simple acids, 

 such as acetic acid. The principal members of this group are Bacillus 

 bifidus and Coccus banani. The types here described are Bacillus acrto- 

 genus a and (3, B. acetogenus proteiformis sp. n., B. butyricus pseudobul- 

 garis sp. n., B. dimorpltus sp. n., and B. paraexilis sp. n. A full account 

 of the morphological character of these new forms is given. In a con- 

 sideration of the part played by these bacteria in the intestine it is 

 pointed out that they can inhibit the growth of putrefactive organisms, 

 and moreover that the acids produced stimulate peristalsis. The more 

 complex substances produced by bacteria of the B. coli group will also 

 stimulate peristalsis, it is true, but the movements so produced are violent, 

 leading possibly to diarrhoea, whereas those due to the acetogenic group 

 are gentle, not exceeding normal physiological movements, while sufficient 

 to prevent stasis. These organisms all have certain characteristics in 

 common. They are Gram-positive and decompose sugars with great 

 activity. They grow well upon sugar media, producing acetic or lactic 

 acid, and with difficulty upon alkaline media. They are very poly- 

 morphic. 



In a second contribution % the author considers the intestinal an- 



* Centralbl. Bakt., lte Abt. Orig., lix. (1911) pp. 1-20. 

 + Centralbl. Bakt., 1. Abt. Orig., lix. (1911) pp. 48-63. 

 X Centralbl. Bakt., l, e Abt. Orig., lix. (1911) pp. 97-103. 



2 y 2 



