ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 101 



tive agent of alinit, is an independent 'bacterial species and cannot 

 be identified witb Bacterium megaterium or Bacillus subtilis, as main- 

 tained by Stoklasa and Lauck. The bacteria differ in size, in their 

 cultural characters on grape-sugar-meat-extract-agar, in their behaviour 

 in sterilised milk, and in their reducing properties. 



Bacillus of Pseudotuberculosis.* — Dr. Klein states that he has found 

 the bacillus of Pfeiffer in Thames and Lea water, in sewage, and in milk. 

 The organism was isolated by injecting raw material into the subcu- 

 taneous tissue of guinea-pigs. The morbid anatomy and microscopical 

 appearances are indistinguishable from those of true tuberculosis, though 

 the organism, a short thick bacillus, has no morphological resemblance 

 to that of tuberculosis. The disease is reproducible in monkeys ; and by 

 treatment with dead cultures animals became resistant. 



Bacillus of Crab-plague.f — Dr. A. Weber states that Prof. Hofer 

 has isolated from the muscle of diseased crabs a bacillus which he re- 

 garded as the exciting cause of crab-disease. The bacillus is 1-1 ' 5 /a 

 long and • 25 /x thick. It is motile ; the flagella are 1-6 in number. 

 The bacillus stains well, but not with Gram. It is easily cultivated, and 

 liquefies gelatin. Blood-serum is soon liquefied, and there arises at first 

 a honey-like odour, but afterwards sulphuretted hydrogen is developed. 

 On potato the growth is yellowish-brown. Milk is coagulated, the 

 reaction being acid. Traces of indol were detected in bouillon. Hofer's 

 bacillus is a potential anaerobe ; it can live a long time in water ; it 

 ferments sugar, and reduces sulphindigotate of soda and salpetre. It is 

 extremely pathogenic to crabs and also to fish. 



Bacillus putrificus.* — In the course of researches on the processes 

 and agents of putrefaction, Dr. Bienstock lighted on a micro-organism 

 which appears to possess a specific decomposing action on fibrin. It 

 appears to be identical with B. putrificus coli, described by the author 

 in 1884. It is a drumstick bacillus, forming terminal spores ; is very 

 thin with rounded ends ; and though the average length is 5-6 /x it some- 

 times forms filaments. It is extremely motile, and is covered with flagella. 

 It is easily stained by the usual dyes, and also by Gram's method. The 

 spores will resist 180° for 2 hours and boiling for 3 minutes ; after 

 5 minutes they are dead. B. putrificus is an anaerobe, and in the depth 

 of glucose-gelatin the colonies produce gas. The microbe is not patho- 

 genic to animals. By its action on fibrin are produced H 2 S, leucin, 

 tyrosin, fatty and aromatic acids, amines, and paraoxyphenylpropionic 

 acid. Consequently it gives rise to real putrefaction, and that too under 

 anaerobic conditions. When associated with certain aerobic organisms, 

 putrefaction takes place, but the process is delayed ; with others putre- 

 faction does not occur at all. 



B. putrificus is not the only cause of putrefaction ; other agents are 

 B. oedematis maligni, symptomatic anthrax, and Clostridium fcetidum. 

 But all these are anaerobes, and it would seem that aerobes are incapable 

 of exciting putrefaction, though they may participate in the process by 



* Brit. Med. Journ, 1899, ii. p. 1357. 



t Arb. a. d. Kais. Gesundheitsamte, xv. (1892) part 2. Centmlbl. Bakt. u. Par., 

 l t0 Abt., xxvi. (1899) pp. 370-2. J Ann. lust. Pasteur, xiii. (1899) pp. 854-64. 



