260 SUMMARY OF QUERENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



incubated at 37°, and in about a week the microbes developed freely, 

 though not on the surface. Pure cultures were also obtained occasionally 

 from the dead body. Microbes were obtained from thirty different kinds 

 of tumour, and ench tumour appears to have a single species. Micro- 

 scopical examination of the cultures must be made from fresh material, as 

 the bodies do not stand fixation or hardening ; though with weak chromic 

 and acetic acids appearances similar to those depicted by Soudakcwitsch 

 were obtained. The preparation may, however, be stained with methylen- 

 blue, safranin,or in anilin-blue(weak aqueous solution, with at most 1—5 

 por cent, alcohol). 



The appearances found on examination were extremely variable as to 

 shape, but may be roughly divided into three classes, with, however, 

 numerous transition forms — amoeboid forms, typical rhizopoda, and in- 

 volution or resting forms. The organism of cancer is witbout doubt a 

 rhizopod, according to the author, and four successful inoculations on 

 mice with pure cultures are recorded. 



Growth of Tubercle Bacilli on Potato Substrata.* — Herr E. Toma- 

 sczewski tested four different samples of tubercle bacilli on neutral and 

 acid gelatin-potato, glycerin-bouillon, glycerin -agar, neutral and acid 

 glycerin-potato-broth, glycerin -potato-agar, and glycerin-potato-bouillon. 

 The most favourable growth took place on glycerin-bouillon and gly- 

 cerin-agar. The author therefore concluded that there was no advan- 

 tage in potato media as against the two last-mentioned substrata. 



Cultures of Micrococcus melitensis and its Serum Reaction. f — 

 Dr. T. Zammit reports that : — (1) the micrococcus of Bruce can be 

 grown successfully from a culture seven months old ; (2) two-year old 

 cultures give a clear serum reaction ; (3) the micrococcus does not grow 

 on sea-water-agar even when brown from sewage contamination ; (4) but 

 grows on an aeared solution of normal human fasces. 



Preparation of Culture Media.} — Mr. R. P>. F. Randolph has, for 

 the last three years, been in the habit of boiling all culture media in 

 an agate-ware double boiler, the outside chamber of which contains 

 a 50 per cent, filtered solution of commercial calcium chloride. This 

 solution has a boiling point of 112° C, and consequently, when boiling, 

 is hot enorgh to keep the contents of the inner chamber in rapid ebulli- 

 tion. The advantages of this plan are that nothing ever burns, the 

 boiling takes place quietly and without bumping, and the rate of 

 ebullition is easily controlled by adjusting the size of the flame. 



Apparatus for obtaining Plate Cultures or Surface Growths of 

 Essential Anaerobes. § — The apparatus (fig. 63) described by Dr. W. 

 Bulloch consists of a bell-jar placed on a ground-glass slab. At tlie 

 top are two openings fitted with tubes and stop-cocks, from one of which 

 a tube leads to the bottom of the bell-jar. The lower edge of the bell- 

 glass is smeared with unguentum resinae. On the slab is placed a 

 Petri's dish, and in this a beaker containing the inoculated tubes. In 

 the Petri's dish and on the side farthest from the long tube are placed 



* Zeitschr. f. Hygiene u. Infekts., xxxii. (1S99) p. 247. See Ceiitralbl. Bakt. u. 

 Par., l t8 Abt., xxvii. (1900) p. 166. t Biit. Med. Juurn., 1900, i. p. 315. 



t Journ. App. Mier., ii. (1899) pp. 632-3. 

 § Centralbl. Bakt. u. Par., l te Abt , xxvii. (1900) pp. 140-2 (1 fig.). 



