410 Journal of Applied Microscopy. 



typhoid fever. Hence it would appear that the method adopted in these three 

 cases, cholera, enteric fever, and plague, does not afford sera sufficiently strong 

 to be of any use in the treatment of these diseases. 



4. Probably more severe inoculations, and the use of more virulent bacilli for 

 a longer time, might afford a more powerful serum. H. h. w. 



Strong, L. W. A Study of the Encapsulated ^^ ^^'^^ ^tudy of the capsule forming 

 Bacilli. Jour. Boston Society Med. Sciences, bacilli the author divides them into 

 '' two classes, the Friedlander group 



and the aerogenes group. Friedlander's group comprises Bacillus pneumoniae, 

 Friedlander, Bacillus ozgenae, Fasching, Bacillus capsulatus mucosus or Bacillus 

 sputigenus crassus, bacillus Wright and Mallory, and possibly bacillus rhinoscler- 

 oma. From the results obtained the author is inclined to believe that all the 

 above group might be assumed to be variations of a primary distinct organism, 

 the Bacillus pneumoniae. The aerogenes group includes Bacillus capsulatus, Pfeiffer, 

 Bacillus kruse, and Bacillus aerogenes, though there are probably other members 

 of the group which were not studied. This group the author also believes 

 should be regarded as originally having arisen from a primary distinct organism. 

 The chief characteristics of the Friedlander group are : " bacilli forming primary 

 colorless colonies, becoming whitish when old ; easily stained capsules which 

 occur only in tissues and exudates ; pseudo-capsules, occasionally in artificial 

 media ; gas production, most abundant on saccharose, slightly less on glucose, 

 and little or none on lactose ; no, or slight, acid formation on lactose ; and no 

 coagulation of milk." The characteristics of the bacilli studied under the 

 aerogenes group are : " colonies primarily whitish ; capsules difficult to stain, and 

 inconstant in occurrence ; no pseudo-capsules in artificial media ; more abundant 

 and constant gas formation on all three media ; rapid coagulation of milk, and 

 equal amounts of acid formation on all three sugars." Gas production and acid 

 formation furnish valuable information for their study and identification. 



H. H. w. 



Jaos, A. Untersuchungen liber Diphtherie- This work covers a series of investiga- 

 diagnose. Centrlblt. f. Bakt. 25: 296-304 tions with the various media employed 

 351-357, I 99- jj^ ^.j^g diagnosis of diphtheria. Of all 



the methods formerly employed, he finds Loffler's blood serum the most satis- 

 factory, though this at times he finds has serious objections, since colonies of 

 Other bacteria, notably streptococci and staphylococci, develop, which may render 

 the recognition of the diphtheria bacillus difficult, and at times these colonies 

 may be so numerous as to cover up entirely the diphtheria colonies, and thus 

 lead to error in diagnosis. With these objections in view, the author has pre- 

 pared media of different composition, and has finally adopted one on which the 

 diphtheria bacilli readily develop, and the streptococci and staphylococci not at 

 all or very poorly. The composition and preparation of the medium with which 

 he obtained the best results is as follows : 800 cc. of ordinary blood serum is 

 mixed with 50 cc. of a normal sodium-hydrate solution and 150 cc. of distilled 

 water or bouillon. This mixture is placed in a flask with a flat bottom and 

 heated over a water-bath for two or three hours at a temperature of from 60 de- 



