710 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



of such a method as applied to animals that are to be used as food or for the purpose 

 of producing milk is questionable." The immunizing method, however, may be 

 used to advantage in treating breeding animals. 



The early diagnosis of tuberculosis by means of tuberculin, J. de Christmas 

 i Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol. [Paris], 56 {1904), No. 6, pp. 239-2#l). — The experiments 

 of the author seem to indicate that tubercle bacillus may produce other toxins than 

 tuberculin, but it is not believed necessary to adopt the method of Mamorek with 

 regard to this point. The author does not believe that it is necessary to assume an 

 excessive secretion of the toxin in order to understand the phenomenon of precocious 

 reaction to tuberculin. 



In experiments carried out by the author it was found possible to obtain definite 

 data regarding the nature of suspected fluids by inoculation of guinea pigs. It was 

 not necessary to wait longer than a few weeks to obtain pronounced glandular swel- 

 lings or characteristic ulcerations if the fluids contain tubercle bacilli. The method 

 preferred by the author in making a rapid diagnosis for tuberculosis will be outlined 

 in subsequent articles. 



The vaccinating nuclein secreted by the tubercle bacillus, E. Wahlen 

 (Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol. [Paris], 56 (1904), No. 6, p. 237).— The author has already 

 called attention to the possibility of a spontaneous vaccination during the course of 

 tuberculosis, and it is believed that the vaccination is due to a diffusable substance 

 which is secreted generally in the liquid of the cultures. 



The spontaneous vaccination appears to take place very rapidly immediately after 

 inoculation, but its effects begin to disappear to some extent within a few r hours. A 

 substance was isolated from fluids containing tubercle bacilli and when freshly pre- 

 cipitated was found to be insoluble in water and salt solution. It is not coagulated 

 by boiling and appears to belong to the group of nucleo-albumins. 



The vaccinating power of certain filtered cultures of tubercle bacilli, E. 

 Wahlen (Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol. [Paris'], 56 (1904), No. 4, pp. 156, 157).— If tuber- 

 cle bacilli which are capable of producing a spontaneously vaccinating tuberculosis 

 in animals be cultivated outside of the animal organism, the same property is found 

 to persist in the filtered cultures. This specific action of the filtered cultures varies 

 extremely, according to the origin of the cultures and the filters used in the experi- 

 ment. It was found possible to obtain cultures which did not produce any ulcera- 

 tion at the point of inoculation in guinea pigs even after a period of 1 month. 



Spontaneous vaccination during the course of tuberculosis, E. Wahlen 

 (Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol. [Paris], 56 (1904), No. 2, p. 65).— The author found that if 

 guinea pigs were inoculated with mildly virulent tubercle bacilli of human origin, 

 the first outbreak of the disease was of short duration and was followed by a consid- 

 erable period of comparative inactivity of the bacillus. As a rule, however, the dis- 

 ease proceeds again on its course of generalization. 



During the period of inactivity of the tubercle bacillus the author believes that a 

 natural process of vaccination is manifesting itself, but that under ordinary conditions 

 this is not sufficient to protect the animal from further development of the disease. 



The transmission of agglutinating power from the mother to the fetus 

 during experimental tuberculosis, E. Hawthorn (Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol. [Paris], 

 56 (1904), No. 3, pp. 127, 128). — The observations reported in this paper were made 

 on the offspring of 11 guinea pigs artificially inoculated with tubercle bacilli of vary- 

 ing virulence. It is found that the agglutinating power for homogeneous cultures of 

 tubercle bacilli is almost always transmitted from the mother to the fetus. In one- 

 third of the cases this power was as marked in the fetus as in the mother and was 

 found to persist for a long time. No diminution was noted at the age of 6 months. 

 No tuberculous lesions were found in any of the offspring of the inoculated guinea 

 pigs. 



