2o6 ANAEROBIOSIS 



aerobic cultivation. In 1890 Tizzoni, Cattani, and Baquis' utilized clotted rabbit blood 

 as a means of cultivating B. ieiani, a change in color indicating reduction. Smith^ 

 also in 1890 began the use of fermentation tubes for the cultivation of anaerobes from 

 infected tissues, and in 1899^ first utilized sterile tissues other than blood to accelerate 

 the growth of B. tetani. Smith clearly recognized that the value of tissues lay in their 

 reducing action. Von Hibler^ also began the use of sterile raw and coagulated rabbit 

 blood and human brain media about the same time, and Kitt^ observed the initial 

 growth of the blackleg bacillus in the immediate vicinity of bits of tissue in liquid 

 media exposed to the air. But it was a mistake on the part of these writers to considei 

 such growth aerobic. 



The use of animal tissues was also developed by Italian investigators, apparently 

 without any knowledge of the work already done in other countries, Tarozzi'' pointed 

 out that the tissues should be preferably fresh and that heating destroyed their value 

 possibly through oxidation of a reducing agent. Much of the Italian literature is in- 

 accessible, but Jungano and Distaso^ and, more recently, Novy^ have reviewed it. In 

 1905 Ori showed that a vegetable tissue, potato, could be used as well as animal tis- 

 sues, and that sterilization in the autoclave did not destroy its value, 



Grixoni cultivated obligate anaerobes in a glycerol extract of liver heated to 55°C, 

 without other means of excluding air, and Wrzosek' used kidney, liver, and spleen 

 in the culture of certain bacteria from normal organs which would not grow in the 

 absence of the tissues. Later Wrzosek'" studied the growth of B. tetani, B. oedematis, 

 B. chauvoei, and B. hotulinus in tissue broth and emphasized the importance of his 

 supposedly new viewpoint relative to the "aerobic growth of anaerobes." 



Harass" found that sterilization of animal tissues did not destroy their ability to 

 support "aerobic" growth of anaerobes in broth. He recognized the desirability of 

 demonstrating aerobic growth on the surface of solid media, but all of his efforts in 

 this direction were fruitless. Bandini'^ showed conclusively that obligate anaerobes 

 such as B. botidinus, B. oedematis, and B. chauvoei would grow well in broth contain- 

 ing not only various animal and plant tissues sterilized in the autoclave at i2o°C,, 

 but also such supposedly inert substances as coal, charcoal, coke, and iron filings. 



' Tizzoni, G., Cattani, J., and Baquis, E.: Beitr. z. path. Anal. u. s. allg. Path., 7, 597. 1890. 



= Smith, T.: Centralbl.f. Bakleriol., Abt. I, Orig., 7, 502. 1890. 



3 Smith, T.: J. Boston Soc. Med. Sc, 3, 340. 1899. 



■» von Hibler, E.: Centralbl.f. Bakleriol., Abt. I, Orig., 25, 593. 1899. 



sKitt, T.: ibid., 17, 168. 1895. 



^Tarozzi, G.: ibid., 38, 619. 1905. 



7 Jungano and Distaso: loc. cit. 



^ Novy, F. G., Jr.: loc. cit. 



9 Wrzosek, A.: Wien. klin. Wchnschr., 18, 1268. 1905; Centralbl.f. Bakleriol., Abt. I, Orig., 43, 

 17. 1907. 



"> Wrzosek, A.: Milnchen. med. Wchnschr., 53, 2534. 1906; Centralbl.f. Bakleriol., Abt. I, Orig., 

 44,607. 1907; 53, 476. 1909- 



" Harass, P.: Miinchen. wed. Wchnschr., 53,' 2237. 1906. 



" Bandini, P.: Giorn. R. Acad. de. Med. di Torino, 12, 265. 1906. 



