1020] VETERINARY MEDICINE. 581 



The ugglutiiiability of attenuated microorganisms, P. Fabry {Compt. 

 h'rml. fioc. nUA. [I'dvin], M {1<I20), No. 7, pp. 201, 202).— On cultivatiiif,' Bacil- 

 lus tt/pliosu.s in culture media containing incivasing proportions of plienol, in- 

 <i-easing agglutinating powers were obtained with decreasing strength of the 

 organism. 



The presence and importance of coagglutinins in immune sera, 0. Sauti 

 (Ann. ](j. [Rome], ><> {HUH), Xo. 6, pp. 3.',V-3.5S).—Th\si is a report of a study 

 of the phenomenon of coagglutinin formation in dogs immunized against vari- 

 OU.S organi.sm.s. 



In the course of immunization against typhoid and paratyphoid A and P. of 

 normal dogs, the sera of which originally contained no agglutinins against the 

 various organisms used, not only were agglutinins formed for the specific 

 organisms, hut the sera acquired agglutinating power against organisms of a 

 different species from that serving as antigen. Weak agglutinating power for 

 the specific organism corresponded with weak secondary agglutinating proper- 

 ties, which became stronger with stronger specific agglutinating power. The 

 strength of the .secondary agglutinins was not, however, in strict proportion 

 to that of the primary, and differed with the various antigens employed. Both 

 the primary and secondary agglutinins in dogs were located principally hut not 

 exclusively in the pseudoglobulin fraction of the serum. 



The administration of sera by the respiratory tract, A. Besredka (.4./m. 

 Inst. Pasteur. 34 (1920), No. 1. pp. 5i-.'J^). — In the course of the author's re- 

 searches on anaphylaxis and immunity the effect of the administration of sera 

 by the respiratory tract has been studied on guinea pigs and rabbits. 



It was found that the respiratory tract is capable of ab.sorbing large quanti- 

 ties of serum which causes no anaphylactic shock in normal animals but pro- 

 vokes anaphylaxis in sensitized animals. If the consistency of the serum ap- 

 I»roaches the solid state anaphylactic accidents are more easily avoided. 



The method is recommended on account of t*he rapidity of absorption, absence 

 of danger of anaphylaxis, and simplicity of operative technique. 



Serological groupings of Vibrion septique and their relation to the pro- 

 duction of toxin, M. UoHERTsoN {Jour. Path, and Pact., 23 {1920), No. 2, pp. 

 l.')3-n0, pis. 2). — An examination of 23 strains of V. septique for agglutinating 

 properties indicate<l that there are at least three serological types. The pres- 

 ence of slight impurities in the cultures usually rendered them unagglutinable. 



The production of a soluble toxin was demonstrated for 11 strains tested for 

 this pro])erty, equally potent toxin being obtained from old laboratory strains 

 and from tho.se recently isolated from acute cases of gas gangrene. The toxin 

 injected intravenously into rabbits in doses of from 0.1 to 1 cc, according to 

 the potency, i)roduced death in from 3 to 10 minutes with symptoms of respira- 

 tory disturliance, paralysis, and convulsions. Monotypical antitoxins neu- 

 tralized the toxins from cultures belonging to each of the three types. A 

 •serum made with the toxin from two strains belonging to the same type pro- 

 tected guinea pigs against infection with living cultures of V. septique belong- 

 ing to the three agglutination types and to a fourth strfiin which at present 

 stands in a group by itself. 



Attention is called to the account by Meyer (E. S. II., 34, p. 479) of an out- 

 break of so-called symptomatic anthrax in hogs due to an organism with the 

 properties of V: septUjue. An examination of two strains of Pacillus ehanrwi 

 showed that they differed in agglutinating properties and in cultural and 

 morphological characters from all three types of V. septique. 



A study of Bacillus pyogenes, J. H. Bbown and M. L. Orcutt {Jour. Expt. 

 Wed., 32 {1920), No. 2, pp. 219-2J,S, pis. S, figs. 4).—"B. pyogenes is probably 



