VETERINARY MEDICINE. 379 



pp. 2086-2088; abs. in Berlin. Tierdrztl. Wchnschr., SO (WU), No. 2, p. 33).— 

 With bovines it was possible to note by the Abderhalden procedure whether an 

 animal was pregnant or not. At least 2 cc. of serum are necessary and the 

 ninhydrin teat is more satisfactory than the biuret tost. 



The need for a means of physical diagnosis of abortion, W. L. Williams, 

 J. N. Frost, and It. R. Bolton (Proc. Amer. Vet. Med. Assoc, 50 (1913), pp. 

 831-842, figs. Jf). — This is the original material with discussions, previously 

 noted (E. S. R.. 29, p. 500). 



A study of the metabiotic action of the ultraviolet rays. — Production of 

 mutation forms of the anthrax bacillus, Mme. V. Henri {CUmipt. Ronl. Acad. 

 Sci. [Paris], 158 {1914), No. 14, pp. 1032-1035, pi. 1; ahs. in Nature [London], 

 93 {1914), No. 2321, pp. 193, 194, figs. 3).— Through the exposure of an aqueous 

 suspension of si)oring anthrax in a quartz tube to ultraviolet radiations for a 

 period varying from 1 to 40 minutes and afterwards subcultliring, the author 

 has been able to produce artificial mutations of Bacillus anthracis. The majority 

 of the organisms were destroyed by this treatment, but a few survived, and 

 while most of these presented a normal aspect a few showed characters decid- 

 edly different from the typical anthrax bacillus. The principal of these were 

 (1) coccoid forms which remained stable during a period of 2 months, and (2) 

 thin fihimontous forms not taking the Gram stain, not liquefying gelatin or 

 curdling milk, and producing an affection different from anthrax on inocula- 

 tion. The second form remained absolutely fixed after daily subcultures for 

 more than 80 days, but, though stable in vitro, in vivo after passage through an 

 animal Gram-positive coccoid forms made their appearance, and subsequently, 

 after subculture in broth, a certain number of bacillary forms approximating to 

 tyiiical anthrax were obtained. 



The efficacy of antitetanic serum, T. B. Rogers {Vet. Rec., 26 {1914), No. 

 1330, p. 4i9). — The mortality from tetanus is much lower since antitetanic 

 serum has been introduced into veterinary therapeutics. In the article a com- 

 parison is made with pre-antitoxin days. 



Diagnosis of tuberculosis in test animals with von Pirquet's reaction, 

 E. CoNRADi {Miinchen. Med. Wchnschr., 60 {1913), No. 29, pp. 1592-1594; «&«• in 

 Berlin. Tierarztl. Wchnschr., 30 {1914), No. 2, pp. 30, 31).— It is stated that the 

 only certain method of diagnosing tuberculosis is the animal test but this gen- 

 erally requires about 6 weeks. The author proposes to shorten this period by 

 testing the guinea pigs with von Pirquet's cutaneous tuberculin test, and in his 

 experiments, using guinea pigs and rabbits, he has reduced the time to about 

 10 to 13 days. It is, however, necessary to follow von Pirquet's specifications 

 closely and to use a diluted, old tuberculin. 



The value of the optical method and the dialysis procedure in infectious 

 diseases. — Investigations about tuberculous bovines, E. Abderhalden and 

 P. Andryewsky {Uilnchen. Med. Wchnschr., 60 {1913), No. 30, pp. 1641, 1642).— 

 The most suitable animals in the preliminary experiments were found to be 

 dogs and rabbits. Guinea pigs which were not infected with tubercle bacilli 

 cleaved a substrat made of tubercle bacilli. Animals receiving finely suspended 

 boiled tubercle bacilli into the blood stream showed protein or peptone cleaving 

 ferments 3 days post injection. The same was noted after injecting tubercle 

 bacilli peptone or living tubercle bacilli. 



In the experiments with cattle which came to slaughter the results were less 

 favorable, as out of 50 cases of localized tuberculosis only 10 gave positive 

 reactions. Where cleavage was obtained with the bovine sera it was practically 

 always with a substrat prepared from the bovine type of bacillus and miliary 

 tuberculosis was present. When, however, lung tissue containing caseous 

 areas were boiled out and used as a substrat for the dialysis method or con- 



