124 SUMMARY OF QUERENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Cultivation and Staining of Amoebae.* — Dr. Feinberg finds that the 

 'best medium for the cultivation of amoebae is a mixture of several organic 

 substances (not specifically mentioned) and common salt solution. In 

 tbis development is rapid and copious, though the cultures are never 

 pure. A drop of the fluid and a drop of serum are placed on a slide 

 and fixed with sublimate-alcohol. The preparations are then treated 

 with iodine-alcohol and stained with a dilute solution of haematoxylin. 

 "When the amoebae become encysted, portions of the nutrient medium 

 mass are fixed and hardened in absolute alcohol, imbedded in paraffin, 

 and sectioned. The sections are best stained with methylen-blue and 

 eosin. 



Medium for Isolating Microbe of Scarlet Fever. f — Mr. W. J. Class 

 has succeeded in isolating from scarlet fever cases a large diplococcus, 

 which he believes to be the specific germ of the disease. The successful 

 culture medium is glycerin-agar to which is added 5 j)er cent, by weight 

 of black garden earth, previously sterilised by discontinuous heating. 

 Epidermis scales are placed on the medium, and the tubes incubated from 

 2-7 days at about 35°. In about two days whitish-grey semitransparent 

 colonies appear. 



New Coloured Nutrient Medium and Appearances produced 

 therein by certain Micro-organisms.:]; — Prof. A. Caesaris-Demel, by 

 pursuing the method of cultivating in liver-broth coloured with litmus, 

 has obtained some interesting results with regard to the reaction pro- 

 duced in the medium by the following micro-organisms : — Bacillus coli 

 communis, B. typhi, B. pneumoniae, B. anthracis, B. icteroides, B. pro- 

 digiosus, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus, Vibrio cholerse, 

 fuwl-bacillus, and Sarcina lutea. These results are pictorial ly sum- 

 marised in two coloured plates, and the importance of the method 

 for diagnostic purposes in regard to some microbes is thereby rendered 

 obvious. For example, in the case of B. coli, the diagram indicates 

 gas-formation and is coloured pink for the first period ; the next stages 

 are neutral (yellow), and the final blue-violet. In the case of B. typhi 

 the first stage is neutral and all the rest pink. Cholera shows a red- 

 violet hue on the first, and afterwards pink throughout. B. icteroides 

 is pink from the start, with pas-formation on the first day. 



Cultivations of B. coli, B. typhi, and Proteus under anaerobic condi- 

 tions showed that after the first day the colour-reaction was neutral, but 

 directly air was restored aerobic appearances presented themselves. The 

 medium is composed of calf's liver infused for 24 hours in 1 litre of 

 water. After expression and filtration the fluid is boiled for one hour, 

 filtered again, and 10 grm. pepton and 5 grm. salt added. The fluid 

 is boiled and filtered again and then neutralised with normal soda solu- 

 tion (about 3 ccm.). The broth is then autoclaved for half an hour at 

 115°, and after filtration 20 ccm. of neutral litmus tincture are added. 

 10 ccm. of the broth are poured into test-tubes, and these are sterilised 

 for half an hour in an autoclave. 



* Fortschr. d. Med., xvii. (1899) pp. 121-7 (2 pis.). 



t Med. Record, lvi. (1S99) pp. 330-2, 513-4 (4 figs.). See Brit. Med. Journ., 

 JS99, ii. Epit. 420. 



X Centralbl. Bakt. u. Par., l te Abt., xxvi. (1899) pp. 529-40 (2 pis.). 



