ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 711 



Morphology of Bacillus Mallei.* — Prof. B. Galli-Valerio, from a 

 further series of observations on the morphological appearances found 

 in cultures of Bacillus Mallei, concludes that the filamentous and club- 

 shaped forms are not involution forms produced in old cultures, for he 

 has observed them both in very young cultures and in hanging drops. 

 Indeed they may be quite rare in old cultures. On boiled young carrot 

 they are especially frequent. The author confirms Sbattock's statement 

 that white mice are not refractory to B. Mallei, and has been able to 

 recover from the lesions the short, the filamentous, and the club-shaped 

 forms. 



Bacteriolysis of Anthrax.f — M. G. Malfitano remarks that living 

 protoplasm is able to elaborate diastases which are capable of destroy- 

 ing the cell which has given rise to them. The degeneration and dis- 

 solution of anthrax as observed in old cultures and unsuitable media 

 are due to the action of diastases. This spontaneous bacteriolysis or 

 autobacteriolysis is in constant relation to the presence of proteolytic 

 diastase in the cell, and there is a close relation between the quantity 

 of protease produced by the bacteria and the autobacteriolysis under- 

 gone by the cells. Protease, like other bacterial diastases, has its 

 optimum reaction near the neutral point. What the internal mechanism 

 is which brings this destructive agency into action is as yet unknown, 

 though certain facts bearing on the question are mentioned. These are 

 the condition of the medium and tbe sudden arrest of protoplasmic life 

 by certain antiseptics, always provided that these agencies do not annul 

 the action of the diastase. The author concludes by referring to similar 

 results obtained by Emmerich and Low and by Gameleia, and points out 

 that his views are much more simple and probable. 



iEtiology of Pulpitis. | — Dr. O. Sieberth contests the statement of 

 Arkovy § that Bacillus gangrenae pulpse is the cause of dental gangrene. 

 From an examination of 131 cases he is inclined to assign the cause to 

 streptococci which were constantly present, and not to B. gangrense 

 pulpse which was conspicuous by its absence. 



Bacillus Pathogenic to Fish.|| — Mr. E. Greig Smith describes a 

 new bacillus which he designates Bacillus piscicidus bipolaris, to indi- 

 cate its pathogenicity and the bipolar germination of the spores. The 

 bacillus was isolated from fish which came from Lake Illawarra. Its 

 pathogenic action was tested on fish and guinea-pigs. The latter were 

 unaffected, but the fish died. The tissues and organs of the inoculated 

 animals contained large numbers of the bacilli. The bacillus is a rod- 

 let with rounded ends, measuring • 8 by 2 to 3 • 6 p.. It grows singly 

 in pairs in short chains and long filaments. It is easily stained. It 

 forms a central spore. It is motile, with usually one polar flagellum. 



The organism grows quickly in the usual media at 20° as well as at 

 37°. In the absence of air the growth is scanty. On gelatin, which is 

 liquefied, the growth is white, the characters of the first two crops 

 differing somewhat from the third and later ones. On agar the colonies 



* Centralbl. Bakt. u. Par., 1" Abt., xxviii. (1900) pp. 353-9 (26 figs.). 



t Comptes Kendus, cxxxi. (1900) pp. 295-8. 



t Centralbl. Bakt. u. Par., l ,e Abt, xxviii. (1900) pp. 302-3. 



§ Cf. this Journal, 189S, p. 579. 



|| Proc. Linn. SSoc. N. S. Wales, xxv. (1900) pp. 122-30 (2 pis.). 



