ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY. MICROSCOPY, ETC. 459 



B. Teclanique.* 

 (1) Collecting Objects, including- Culture Processes. 



Spud for Bacteriological Purposes.!— F. Schreiber describes a new 

 instrument, which may be used for removing large masses of bacteria 

 from the surface of solid culture media, and is therefore of service in 

 researches upon toxins and antitoxins, and also in the preparation of 

 vaccines. The instrument is made of German silver, and the design 

 of it is shown in figs. 88, 89. The portion of the instrument between 

 the handle and the spud-end is slightly flexible, and thus manipulations 

 with plates and flasks are facilitated. It may also be adapted for use with 

 narrow test-tubes. 



20 cm 



Nair^Kv;vt(^^/f,; ^\ W^,-c-x-^>^..a-^ 



Vfr^r'K'r-ri^rtyrYVrVtWr-X— \ 



Fig. 88, 89. 



Cultivation of Tubercle Bacilli.^ — R. Turro and J. Alomer make 

 use of potato media for this purpose. Potatoes are cut up in small 

 portions, and water containing glycerin (5 p.c.) is added. The mixture 

 isautoclaved for 10 minutes at 125° C It is then filtered, and u syrupy 

 amber-coloured fluid is obtained. Surface inoculation of the fluid with 

 suitable material causes the rapid growth of the tubercle bacilli. A solid 

 medium is obtained by the addition of agar (2 p.c). Cultivations upon 

 this medium do not present quite the crusty coherent character which is 

 a feature of growths of tubercle bacilli on ordinary media. The authors 

 point out that certain kinds of potato, including some Spanish and 

 Italian varieties, are not suitable for the gnjwth of tubercle. 



Medium for Cultivation of Leishmania.§ — For the cultivation of 

 Leishmania and allied Protozoa, R. Row has devised a modification of 

 the Nicolle-Novy-McNeal medium, which possesses certain advantages 

 for workers in tropical countries. The Nicolle-Novy-McNeal medium, 

 consisting of (condensation water from an agar medium, becomes rapidly 

 concentrated by evaporation, and is only available in small quantities. 

 Row recommends that 5-8 c.cm. of lilood be aspirated under aseptic 

 conditions from the ear-vein of a rabbit or from the human fore-arm, and 

 defibrinated. The addition of sufficient sterile distilled water produces 



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

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

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

 (6) Miscellaneous. 



t Centralbl. Bakt., Abt., Ite Abt. Orig.,lxiii. (1912) p. 543. 



: C.R. Soc. Biol. Paris, Ixxii. (1912) pp. 583-4. 



§ Brit. Med. Journ. (1912) i. pp. 1119-20. 



2 I 2 



