and Laboratory Methods. 1883 



to the making of the media, such as the amounts of the various ingredients, the 

 titrations, etc. The media cards are filed by themselves. ^ 



Label Writing. — The culture number written on a culture tube is all that 

 is necessary to completely identify that culture. Considerable time is thus saved 

 in label writing. Other points, such as date of inoculation, media used, etc., 

 may be added if desired, but they are not essential, since this culture number on 

 the tube indicates directly : 1st — the species (by the number in the hundreds) ; 

 2d — the particular member of the species (by the number in the tens and units) ; 

 3d — the generation of the culture (by the number of places to the right of the 

 decimal point) ; 4th — the culture from which it was inoculated (by the number 

 as a whole, minus the figure in the last place of decimals) ; and this number also 

 indicates indirectly (by reference to the culture card) all further information 

 relating to the culture, i. e., the source, date of inoculation, the media, the lot of 

 media, and in general all previous history. 



Remarks. — The card system has the usual advantages of cross references, 

 convenience, and elasticity. By having a system of cards for media (including 

 animals), and for cultures before and after isolation of the organism, one has a 

 complete record conveniently at hand. 



The criticism may be made that the system is complex. This is true, but it 

 should be remembered that the facts which it aims to record are complex. In 

 many cases where so complete a record as that provided for is not necessary, it 

 can be considerably modified. On the other hand, it can easily be elaborated 

 or extended to meet conditions not here specified. For instance, species might 

 be designated by numbers in the thousands instead of in the hundreds (e. g., 

 B. coli 1000, B. typhi abdominalis 2000, etc.), if a large number of different 

 specimens of the same species are to be recorded. 



The system as above outlined is now in use in the Bacteriological Laboratory 

 of the Boston Board of Health. Modifications for the special purposes of 

 other laboratories will probably suggest themselves. Those bacteriologists 

 engaged in the differentiation and classification of species may find useful cards 

 printed somewhat after the style of the Fuller and Johnson table" and designed 

 to record the variation in reaction of different species or different specimens of 

 the same species upon some one medium. 



This card system is not offered in any sense as an alternative or substitute 

 for the Fuller and Johnson method of tabulating final results of species work, but 

 rather as an orderly and systematic method of accumulating the data from which 

 such tables may finally be constructed. Burt Ransom Rickards. 



Boston Board of Health Bacteriological Laboratory. 



'' The form here given is that used for artificial media, serum, agar, broth, etc., and is de- 

 signed to conform to the methods of the Bacteriological Committee of the Am. Pub. Health 

 Association. 



" Transac. Am. Pub. Health Association, 1899. 



