1020 EXPEEIMENT STATION EECORD. 



The question of acclimation to tuberculin, Bartels {Deut. Tlucrarztl. Wdimchr., 

 10 {190:?}, Xo. 29, pp. 385, 2S6). — Among 768 steers which had been tested with 

 tubercuhn 6 to 7 days previously, 105 reacted, and 97 of these were found to be tuber- 

 culous upon post-mortem examination. The author believes that the number of 

 cases which fail to react to tuberculin when tested shortly after a previous injection 

 is much less than has been supposed by some authors. It is believed that where cir- 

 cumstances render it impossible to wait longer in making tlie test, the second te.*t 

 may be made within 6 to 8 days after the first; the author recommends, however, in 

 all cases where time is not such an important factor that the second test should be 

 made 3 to 4 weeks after the first. 



Contribution to von Behring-'s method of immunizing" cattle ag'ainst 

 tuberculosis, Mklde {Berlin. Tliicrarztl. WrltnKclir., 1902, Xo. 40, ]ip. 59S-'>97). — 

 The author ])resents an outline of the immunization method with which von Behring 

 has been exi^erimenting. The method has been extended and is being put into 

 practice o:i a larger scale. Experiments are being conducted to further perfect 

 methods for securing tuberculin of known strength. In all, about 3,000 cattle have 

 l)een tested with the Marburg tuberculin, and it lias Ijeen found that all animals 

 endured this test without any injurious con.secjuences. Various races and ages of 

 cattle have been tested by the tuberculin and have been subjected to vaccination 

 according to von Behring' s method. Up to the present time 175 cattle have been 

 immunized in this manner, and as a rule cattle have been cho.sen for these experi- 

 ments from tuberculous herds, so that the immunized animals may be exposed to 

 tuberculous ones. It is believed by the author that the method i)romises to 

 become exceedingly valuable and further reports on the progress of the experiments 

 are promised. 



Experimental investigations on the action of dead tubercle bacilli, C. 

 SxERXBEiio {Centhl. Allg. Path. u. Path. Anat., IS {1902), No. 19, pp. 733-776').— The 

 literature of this subject is critically reviewed by the author. Extensive series of 

 experiments were undertaken for the purpose of determining the effect of the pres- 

 ence of dead tubercle bacilli in animal tissues. Tubercle bacilli were obtained from 

 several sources for use in these experiments, and the material used was previously 

 subjected to different processes. The material came from glj-cerin-agar cultures, 

 Ijouillon cultures, and pulverized tubercle bacilli. Later a series of experiments was 

 made to determine whether the toxic princijiles of tubercle bacilli could be readily 

 extracted by ordinary means so as to render dead tubercle bacilli harmless toward 

 animal tissue. Another series of experiments was undertaken to determine the pos- 

 sibility of immunizing animals by means of tuberculin. As a result of these experi- 

 ments it was found that dead tubercle bacilli in the animal body were capable of 

 i:)roducing essentially the same alterations as living l)acilli, although to a less extent. 

 The dead bacilli were found to be capa):)le of killing experimental animals and pro- 

 ducing typical tubercles with epithelioid and giant cells. Dead tubercle l)acil!i couLl 

 be demonstrated in the animal l)od\' for a long time after inoculation and were 

 readily stainable. It is believed, therefore, that the active principle of tubercle 

 bacillus is inherent in the bacterial boily and is not removed by persistent and 

 repeated sterilization in living steam, but may be extracted by means of alcohol, 

 ether, and chloroform. It was found that the pathogenic action of tubercle Ttacillus 

 distinguishes it from all other bacilli otherwise resembling it. It is believed that 

 the necrosis of the lungs in pulmonary tuberculosis of animals and man is partly due 

 to the effect of large quantities of dead tubercle bacilli in such situations. It was 

 found that rabbits could be inuuunized against the effect of dead tubercle bacilli by 

 repeated injections of tuberculin. 



The developnient of the treatment of parturient paresis during- the last 

 five years, J. Schmidt (5er.'//;. Tltieriirzll. WcJtni^clir.,1902, Xo. 33, pp. 497-503, fig. 1). — 

 Since the potassic iodid treatment for parturient paresis ^^as introduced by the 



