VETERINAEY MEDICINE. 181 



findings of the tissues indicated death from a bacterial infection and not from 

 rinderpest. "All evidence points to the conclusion that the Martin's broth em- 

 ployed in these two cases was contaminated by bacteria prior to injection in 

 the animals. The results are atti-ibuted to poor aseptic technique, and greater 

 care in the subsequent inoculations, where no such toxemias were induced in 

 the injected animals, suppoi't the conclusion. 



" The symptoms, lesions, and other circumstances stated by Baldrey (E. S. R., 

 27, p. 380) resemble the results obtained in the two animals in question, and 

 there is justification for belief that his results were due to the same cause. 

 In all the other animals injected with mixtures of blood and culture medium 

 after incubation, no immediate ill effect followed, in either susceptible or 

 immune animals. 



" With the exception of the animals noted . . . all those injected with the 

 so-called 24 and 48 hour cultures of rinderpest in neutral or allvaline ^Martin's 

 broth contracted rinderpest after the usual incubation period and died. These 

 observations do not support Baldrey's belief that there occurs a rapid forma- 

 tion of rinderpest toxin in the broth during the 24 hours with resulting death 

 of the virus. The experiments have included tests of Martin's broth after 

 incubation as long as 72 hours. Rinderpest virus does die in Martin's broth 

 culture after incubation for 72 hours, but there is no evidence that rinderpest 

 toxin was formed, much less that rinderpest toxin caused the death of the 

 virus. 



" The experiments reveal the fact that rinderpest virus will survive in 

 neutral or alkaline Martin's broth at 37° O. for at least 48 hours, but not for 

 72 hours. Two cases were tested at 24 hours, two at 48 hours, and three at 72 

 hours. Rinderpest virus kept in acid Martin's broth or in 5 per cent potassium 

 citrate solution did not survive after 48 hours at 37°." 



Abderhalden's dialysis method in pulmonary tuberculosis, M. Wolff and 

 K, Fkank {Berlin. Klin. Wchnschr., 51 (1914), No. 19, pp. 875-877).— The tests 

 were conducted with the sera of man and the substratum employed was prepared 

 from tuberculous lung, tubercle bacilli, normal lung, dog's lung, or human 

 muscle. It is concluded that the test in its present form can not be considered 

 of value for diagnostic or prognostic purposes. 



Experimental studies on blood serum of cows immunized ag'ainst tuber- 

 culosis, E. R. Baldwin (Arch. Int. Med., 13 (1914), No. 5, pp. 682-700; abs. in 

 Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc, 62 (1914), No. 23, p. 1842). — These experiments relate 

 to the properties of the serum of a cow repeatedly immunized against tuber- 

 culosis over a period of ten years. The cow was given six intravenous injec- 

 tions of living human tubercle bacilli, both virulent and slightly virulent, be- 

 sides numerous injections of various forms of tuberculin. Specific agglutinins, 

 opsonins, and complement-fixing antibodies were developed in the serum, but 

 never to a very great degree. Bacteriolysin was never noted nor was a bacil- 

 licidal effect recognized in either the serum or leucocytes. 



" Living human tubercle bacilli ' sensitized ' with the immune serum showed 

 increased infective power in guinea pigs and rabbits as compared with normal 

 cow serum. The increased infective power was manifested by earlier and more 

 marked reactions or infiammation following inoculation, and a wider spread of 

 the disease than in controls. This acceleration of infection was not manifest 

 unless the cow had recently received injections of pulverized bacillus residue, 

 but the immune serum agglutinin titer was not always greater than the normal 

 cow serum. To explain the apparent paradoxical action of the immune serum, 

 it is suggested that the strongly agglutinated bacilli were protected from injury 

 by the leucocytes of the inoculated animal by reason of the clumping. The 

 bacilli were presumably phagocyted in large masses, but more difficult of diges- 



