492 SUMMARY OF CUERENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



of these tubes, so as to prevent the water bubbling into them when it 

 begins to boil. These tubes are bent at an angle immediately above the 

 top of the corks. The advantage of an acute bend is that the condensed 

 water finds a suitable gradient towards the worm of the condenser B, 

 with which the tubes are connected by means of a T-shaped glass 

 junction and rubber pressure tubing. Through the glass vessel 

 surrounding the worm there is a continual flow of cold water, entering 

 by the pipe a and leaving by the pipe h. The worm is connected with 

 a large bottle C, which is also connected with a water filter pump D, 

 which is secured to a pipe 7; coming from the main by means of stout 

 tubing braced with cloth, cord, and wire. By this means a partial 

 vacuum is obtained in the bottles, anel the water readily boils at 87° C. 

 The vapour readily condenses, and the distillate is collected in C. It 

 requires 21-22 hours to evaporate a litre of water. 



After starting the process it needs no further attention till the end 

 is almost reached, when one should be at hand to stop it at the proper 

 moment. 



One filter pump can only deal efficiently with one or two bottles ; if 

 more are connected up with it the distillation process is proportionately 

 slowed. 



The residual water is plated out on the Conradi-Drigalski medium, 

 and the plates incubated in the usual manner. 



Cultivating Meningococcus.* — W. St. Clair Symmers and W. J. 

 Wilson found that the most satisfactory solid culture medium was the 

 following : Raw ascitic fluid 1 part, ;^ p.c. agar 2 parts. The agar was 

 made in the usual way, and Chapoteaut's pepton was found to give 

 superior results to Witte's, though the latter was good. In making the 

 medium the agar was allowed to cool to 55° C, and then the ascitic 

 fluid warmed to the same degree was added. Slopes were made. When 

 set the tubes were incubated for 2^ hours to test the sterility. For 

 this medium the laboratory name "chapasgar" is suggested. 



The authors isolated meningococcus 52 times out of 75 samples of 

 cerebro-spinal fluid, and from the blood of living patients in o out of 15 

 cases. The organism was found to be Gram-negative, did not peptonise 

 gelatin, formed indol, forms acid from glucose and maltose, but not 

 from galactose, does not form gas, grows well in media containing raw 

 ascitic fluid, lives for at least a week in chapasgar, for 2-4 weeks in 

 ascitic bouillon, for 2 weeks to 2 months in fluid sugar media. 



R. M. Buchanan,t who has tried various media for cultivating 

 meningococcus, finds that ox-serum after Loefiier's formula (3 parts 

 ox-serum, 1 part bouillon, and 1 p.c. glucose) gives the best results. To 

 this medium neutral red in the proportion of 1 : 10,000 was added as 

 indicator. Meningococcus thrives well, and assumes a pink tint. On 

 plating out meningococcus colonies are easily detected, and their indica- 

 tion is further corroborated by means of serum-sugar media (glucose, 

 galactose, maltose, saccharose). Acid is formed in the glucose, galactose, 



* Brit. Med. Journ., 1907, i. pp. 1477-9. 

 t Lancet, 1907, i. pp. 1590-1. 



