and Laboratory Methods. 2105 



CURRENT BACTERIOLOGICAL LITERATURE. 



H. W. CONN, Wesleyan University. 



Separates of Papers and Books on Bacteriology should be Sent for Review to H. W. Conn, 

 Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. 



Oabritschewsky. Beitrage zu bakteriologi- The use of heat for fixing bacteria up- 



schen untersuchungsmethoden. C e n t. f. , . ^ .^ • ■ • 



Bac. u. Par. I, 31 : o, 813. ^^ cover-glasses previous to staining is 



known to have an influence upon the 

 power of bacteria in absorbing stains ; too high a heat rendering the bacteria 

 incapable of such absorption. The author has tested this property by placing 

 covers of various organisms in a culture oven where the temperature can be kept 

 at a known point, and then testing the staining power of the organisms by sub- 

 sequent treatment. He experiments with a variety of bacteria and finds, with 

 some variations, that bacteria color well if heated to a temperature not over 170- 

 180°, that spores will color when heated to a temperature still higher than this, 

 but that at a temperature of 220°, neither spores nor bacilli will stain. The 

 power of staining by the Gram method disappears at a higher temperature than 

 that of ordinary staining. In general, if heated to a temperature of over 220°, 

 the power of absorbing stains is completely lost. h. w. c. 



Onelianski. Die Kultur der Nitritbildners auf In experimentation with the so-called 

 Papierscheiben. Cent. f. Bac. u. Par. II, 8 : j^j^-j-q bacteria it has been necessary to 



develop special culture media, inas- 

 much as these organisms will not grow in the presence of organic material and 

 are therefore quite unadapted to the common media of the laboratory. Wino- 

 gradski has used culture media of gelatinized silica. The author of this paper 

 has developed a new method of cultivating these organisms by the use of common 

 filter paper. He takes a thick pack of common filters, sews them together at 

 their edge, and places them in a petri dish. In the bottom of the petri dish he 

 places carbonate of magnesia and then pours into the dish, so as to partly cover 

 the filter papers, the nitrogen free culture media designed for the development 

 of the bacteria. He inoculates the surface of the filter papers with the material 

 to be tested and finds that the organisms grow readily and soon make their 

 appearance as isolated colonies on the surface of the filter paper which can 

 subsequently be separated and experimented with. He finds it also possible to 

 use strips of filter paper in test tube cultures and regards the use of such paper 

 as a decided advantage in the experimenting with the nitro bacteria. The 

 method is useful in cultivating the nitrous bacteria, but not those that produce 

 nitric acid. h. w. c. 



MacParland. Tetanus and Vaccination. Jour. The widespread interest excited in the 

 Med. Research, 2: 474, 1902. j^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ occurrence of tetanus 



following vaccination gives special importance to this careful analysis of the 

 cases, and conclusions as to the cause. The author concludes, after very careful 

 study, that the recent cases of tetanus are to be attributed to the vaccine virus 



