ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY. MICROSCOPY, ETC. 489 



B. Technique.* 

 (1) Collecting Objects, including- Culture Processes. 



Cultivating Bacillus fusiformis and Spirochseta dentium.f — 

 P. Miihlens has isolated B. fusiformis, from the mouth, in pure culture, 

 on horse-serum agar ; the organism grows at 37° C. only on serum or 

 ascitic fluid, or on media containing such fluids, and is a strict anaerobe. 

 After 44-48 hours there appears under the surface of the serum agar 

 fine yellow colonies with darkish centres and star-like projections ; there 

 is no production of gas ; anaerobic serum bouillon cultures show a 

 flocculent deposit and clear fluid ; all cultures have a foetid odour. 

 There was only slight pathogenicity for laboratory animals. 



The author also cultivated Spiroclmta dentium for several genera- 

 tions together with a bacterium, on both solid and fluid medium ; the 

 colonies show after 8-10 days incubation at 37° C. ; they are dilficult to 

 distinguish, and appear as a yellow clouding of the serum agar ; they 

 have an unpleasant pienetrating odour ; they grow only in the absence 

 of oxygen, and on media containing animal albumen ; sugar is not 

 fermented ; there is no production of gas ; no growth occurs in milk or 

 on potato. Spirochfetes survive 4-6 weeks at 37° C. Pathogenicity for 

 animals was not observed. 



Bacteriological Diagnosis of Cerebrospinal Meningitis. J — 0. Brian 

 advocates the following method for the rapid diagnosis of cerebrospinal 

 meningitis. From a serum agar culture obtained from cerebrospinal 

 fluid, a loopful is taken and rubbed in the side of a tube holding some 

 of the patient's serum, and also of a controle tube, evenly-clouded fluids 

 resulting. Both tubes are now centrifuged according to Gaehtgen's 

 method for 10-15 minutes ; with the serum giving a positive reaction 

 the cocci are deposited as flocculi. 



Cultural Characteristics of Tubercle Bacilli.§ — J. v. Szaboky 

 finds that the vigour of growth of the tubercle bacillus varies in 

 difi'erent media ; the best growth is obtained on lung agar, then on 

 sputum agar, sputum-lung agar, and tubercle-lung agar ; growth is less 

 vigorous on egg medium, and on somatose agar ; growth is best and 

 quickest when the medium is slightly acid, less good if it is neutral or 

 alkaline, and bad if strongly acid. On somatose agar it grows best if 

 the medium is strongly alkaline ; on egg medium growth is best when 

 the medium is strongly acid. Growth is most vigorous on moist media 

 like lung agar. 



Apparatus for Isolating Micro-organisms.|| — M. A. Barber has 

 devised the following apparatus for the isolating of single micro- 



* This subdivision contains (1) Collecting Objects, including Culture Pro- 

 cesses ; (2) Preparing Objects ; (3) Cutting, including Imbedding and Microtomes ; 

 (4) Staining and Injecting ; (5) RIounting, including slides, preservative fluids, etc. ; 

 (6) Miscellaneous. 



t Centralbl. Bakt., Ite Abt., xxxix. (1907) p. 479. 



X Op. cit., xliii. (1907) p. 745. § Tom. cit., p. 651. 



II Kansas Univ. Sci. Bull., iv. (1907) pp. 1-48 (3 figs.). 



Aug. '21st, 1907 2 k 



