ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 663 



medium and the staining of the colonies. The stained colonies lose 

 their virulence in 4.s hours. There are two coloured illustrations, but 

 they are not described. 



Direct Cultivation of Tubercle Bacilli. * — J. Cruickshank finds 

 that there is a marked superiority of egg and animal tissues over other 

 media for the growth of tubercle bacilli. In the case of sputum, urine, 

 or other fluid, a 15-20 p.c. antiformin (equal parts of liquid sodse 

 chlorinatEe B.P., and 15 p.c. NaHO) is allowed to act until the coarse 

 material is dissolved. In the case of solid particles, trituration is neces- 

 sary. The solution is centrifuged, and the deposit washed with distilled 

 water or saline two or three times. The washed sediment is then inocu- 

 lated on egg, glycerin egg, or animal tissue media. The egg medium 

 is prepared by mixing the whites and yolks of three eggs, straining 

 them through gauze, and adding one part of 0"85 NaCl to every three 

 parts of egg. A few drops of alcoholic basic fuchsin are added just to 

 give a distinct colour to the medium ; this renders the growth more 

 visible. Slopes are then made and sterilized in test tubes (3-5 minutes). 

 The tubes are further sterilized at 105° C. on two successive days. To 

 prevent drying of the medium, glycerin bouillon may be added, and a 

 small amount should be allowed to remain in each tube at the time of 

 inoculation. 



Animal tissue media is prepared from fresh rabbit lung or other 

 tissue. This is soaked for an hour in 0'H5 p.c. NaCl solution containing 

 6 p.c. glycerin : it is then sterilized at 120° C. for 30-45 minutes, and 

 is then supported over the surface of 6 p.c. glycerin bouillon, so that 

 the tissue surface is kept moist by capillary attraction and by condensa- 

 tion. On glycerin-egg medium growth appears in from 12-24 days ; on 

 animal tissue medium, in from 7-14 days. 



Isolation of Bacillus Acne.f — E. M. Stanton makes use of the 

 following procedure. The comedone is macerated in a few drops of 

 sterile bouillon ; from this 2 p.c. glucose-agar slants are inoculated. 

 The cottonwool plug is pushed down the tube until the lower end is a 

 little above the medium. The space above the plug is filled with pyro- 

 gallic acid crystals, and a few drops of 5 p.c. sodium or potassium 

 hydroxide added ; a rubber plug is at once inserted, and the paraffin 

 applied to the plug and neck of the tube. Care must be taken not to 

 use too much alkali, lest the liquid be forced through the cottonwool 

 plug and the culture killed. Examination after three days' incubation 

 shows small cream-coloured colonies on the siirface of tbe milk-white 

 StaphtjlococcAis albus growth. The acne colonies are also found below or 

 to the side of the Staphylococcus growth. As they are non-adherent, 

 they are easily picked off, and anaerobic subcultures made. The author 

 also gives the culture and morphological characteristics of B. acne. 



Culture of Spinal Ganglia. J — G. Marinesco and J. Minea record 

 their attempts to cultivate the spinal ganglia of mammals. They claim 

 that their researches show that the nerve-cell removed alive from the 



* Brit. Med. Journ., 1912, ii. pp. 1293-1300. 



t Centralbl. Bakt., Ite Abt. Orig., Ixvi. (1912) pp. 386-9 (3 figs.). 



X Anat. Anzeig., xlii. (1912) pp. 161-76 (8 figs.). 



