VETEEINARY SCIENCE AND PRACTICE. 189 



a proportion of 1:5; positive in -4 cases iu the same proportion; in 4 cases in a pro- 

 portion of 1:10; in 3 cases in a proportion of 1:20; in 4 cases in a proportion of 1:30 ; 

 and in 1 case in a proportion of 1 : 40. The serum reaction in the tuberculous cattle 

 was equally irregular and unsatisfactory, being negative in some cases and positive 

 in others, without any apparent explanation for the irregular results. From these 

 investigations the authors conclude that the method of serum reaction is of little 

 value in diagnosing tuberculosis among cattle; that a positive reaction does not 

 necessarily indicate the presence of tuberculosis; and a negative reaction does not 

 necessarily mean that the animal is free from the disease. 



Actinomycosis, W. Silberschmidt {Ztsdtr. Hyg. u. Infcdionskrank., S7 {1901), 

 No. 3, pp. 343-380, pis. 3). — A study was made of the pathogenic organisms con- 

 cerned in a number of cases of actinomycosis in man and cattle. Inoculation exper- 

 iments were made with purulent material obtained from human and bovine cases 

 of actinomycosis and bacteriological studies were made of the organism obtained 

 from pure cultures from these substances. In the inoculation experiments with 

 actinomycotic material of human origin, rabbits and guinea pigs proved to be almost 

 but not quite resistant. Similar results were obtained from inoculating these animals 

 with material of bovine origin. In all, 8 forms of micro-organisms were obtained 

 from the cases of actinomycosis which were studied. None of these forms cor- 

 responded in their morphological characters with the organism described by Bostrom 

 as the only cause of actinomycosis in man and animals. The author concludes that 

 the assumption that actinomycosis is a specific disease caused by a single parasitic 

 fungus is incorrect. Typical symptoms of the disease may be produced by a number 

 of different micro-organisms. The direct microscopic investigation of the actinomy- 

 cotic tumors does not suffice for making a certain diagnosis of the disease. In order 

 to identify the micro-organisms it is necessary to make pure cultures. Nearly all of 

 the micro-organisms which were found in cases of actinomycosis in man and animals 

 are considered by the author as belonging to the group Actinomyces. 



Germination of anthrax spores, R. Weil {Arch. Hyg., 30 {1901), No. 3, pp. 

 20o-:'29). — The general problem of the biology of the anthrax bacillus was investi- 

 gated with special reference to spore germination. It was found that when material 

 containing anthrax spores was subjected to favorable conditions for germination, the 

 majority of the spores germinated within a fairly constant period, depending upon 

 the temperature. It was impossible, however, to find a time at which no spores were 

 present in the material, and it is therefore considered impossible to free such mate- 

 rial from spores by the method of fractional sterilization. New spore formation took 

 place before the old spores had all germinated. "When large masses of spores were 

 brought to the point of germination at an optimum temperature, it was found that 

 only a small number of them germinated, multiplied, and produced new spores. It 

 was impossible to determine the cause of this failure of the majority of spores to 

 reproduce themselves. The germination of a greater number of anthrax spores 

 which were able to develop normally took place as a rule after 8, 16, and 70 hours, 

 at temperatures of 37, 24, and 18° C. respectively. In a few cases germination of 

 spores took place at 0° C. The formation of new spores occurred after 21, 23, 48, 

 and 96 hours, at temperatures of 37, 29, 24, and 18° C. respectively. The germi- 

 nation of anthrax spores was strongly influenced by weak solutions of various chem- 

 ical reagents. A brief exposure to 1 per cent chloroform, 1.5 per cent aqueous solu- 

 tion of carbolic acid, or 1 per cent solution of formalin, destroyed the germinating 

 power of all spores. 



Demonstration of anthrax bacilli, C. Feaenkel {Hyg. PMndschau, 11 {1901), 

 No. 13, pp. 633-635). — A report is given on the method adopted by the author for 

 identifying the bacillus of anthrax in 5 suspected cases, of which 3 were in 

 man, 1 in a cow, and 1 in a horse. A microscopic examination of pathological 

 tissue in stained and unstained conditions failed to give a certain diagnosis. Cul- 



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