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1Rcmarft9 on eonic of tbc ipbaecs Bccn in a 



tew ©r^anisms tounb in Decomposing :Bloo^, etc. 



By R. L. Maddox, M.D., Hon. Fell. R.M.S., etc. 



^^ 



AVING requested the butcher to supply me with 



some blood from his slaughter-house for use as 

 manure, I received a very large pailful of blood, 

 seriously contaminated by some garbage, which, as 

 far as I could see, was mostly composed of the 

 (//^^^f entrails of ducks and fowls, all being in the early 

 -^^^ro S> stage of putrefaction. Before making use of the 

 eff^^ material supplied, it occurred to me that it might 

 be worth while to examine the more fluid part with 

 the microscope. Upon so doing I was struck with the multiplicity 

 of the various organisms present, consisting chiefly of different 

 bacteria, bacilli, spirilla, though rare, and a few very arched vibrios, 

 with some very minute flagellate infusoria, besides numerous cell- 

 structures, with duplicate nuclei. 



There was one point, however, that seemed to me rather pecu- 

 liar about some of the large rod bacilli, and which, though possibly 

 common, I had never before noticed so distinctly, and which is 

 best described as being of a horse-whip character or shape. This 

 was seen not only in the long filaments, but also in the short ones, 

 though a great many, apparently of the same kind, had the width 

 equal throughout the full length. The material was found so 

 exceedingly dirty, it seemed useless to attempt to make any 

 serviceable slides. It was, therefore, put aside in the room and 

 kept lightly covered from dust and light, as I was desirous more 

 especially to note the further character of the rod bacilli. No 

 attempt was made to procure a pure culture by plate cultivation 

 for separating the different organisms, as I preferred to keep the 

 material as received. 



The fluid was re-examined after a couple of days, when much 

 of the debris had sunk to the bottom. The same objects were 

 now seen more clearly, and I was enabled to mount a slide show- 

 ing many of the general features. As all were not found in the 



International Journal of Microscopy and Natural Science. 

 Third Series. Vol. III. o 



