196 Proceedings Columbia Biochemical Association [March, 



form is essential. It is noteworthy in this connection that lactose is 

 not fermented under aerobic conditions but is broken down under 

 anerobic conditions. 



My experiments on the putre facti ve properties of this species 

 thus far bear out Rettger's conclusions. B. vulgaris does not de- 

 compose coagulated meat and egg-albumen, either in the presence 

 er absence of oxygen. B. vulgaris plus B. putrificus produce active 

 putre faction under aerobic conditions, the vulgaris apparently using 

 up the dissolved oxygen, thus enabHng the putrificus to act. That 

 this is the case is indicated by the inhibition of decomposition for 

 several days, in tubes containing added glucose (0.5 percent) . With 

 sugar present, the nitrogenous metabohsm is very sHght and oxygen 

 is not removed from the Solution. 



The results thus far show a very delicate physiologic adjustment 

 to the food environment by the organism studied. Seven strains 

 of B. vulgaris were used and, barring certain individual variations, 

 they behaved uniformly in the essential points. 



138. The Scheurlen-Klett selenium reaction in the diphtheria 

 group. I. J. Kligler and V. E. Levine. (Dep't of Public 

 Health, Amer. Museum of Natural Hist., N. Y. City.) Reduction 

 is a property of living cells, including bacteria. Some forms of 

 bacteria do not reduce as readily as others; some do not reduce at 

 all. The phenomenon of reduction is utilized in differentiating these 

 types, nitrates being generally used for the purpose. Recently 

 selenium and tellurium have been employed in treatment of various 

 pathological conditions ; and a number of workers, notably Scheurlen,. 

 Klett, Gosio, Glöger and Maassen, having tested the effect of sele- 

 nium or tellurium Compounds on bacteria, report reduction by most 

 common forms, Gloger found, however, that diphtheria and pseu- 

 do-diphtheria organisms among others do not reduce. We have 

 tested the effect of this group of bacteria on selenium dioxid, and 

 sodium selenite. 



Four strains of B. diphtheria, seven strains of B. pseudo-diph- 

 theria, and three strains of diphtheroid organisms from Hodgkin's 

 disease were used. These were grown on agar slants containing i 

 part of selenium dioxid, or i part of sodium selenite, in 200,000, 

 100,000, 50,000, 25,000 and 10,000 parts of agar, respectively, Re- 

 duction was induced by all organisms, but no action was observed 



