THE RESISTANCE OF S'i'REi'TUCOCCl TO GERMICIDAL 



AGENTS 



HENRY ALBERT 



During the past year and a half, streptococci have assumed an 

 unusual role as causes of disease. They have been the cause of 

 most of the serious infections of war wounds. They were almost 

 entirely responsible for the severe epidemics of pneumonia and 

 empyema which occurred in many places, especially military 

 camps during the winter of 1917-18, and together with the pneu- 

 mococcus were apparently the cause of most of the fatalities during 

 the recent epidemic of influenza. 



This unusual prominence of the streptococci was gained in part 

 by wide distribution of virulent forms and probably also in part, 

 by an increase in the virulence of the organism. 



It is therefore a matter of great importance to determine if it 

 is possible to destroy these chained cocci as they occur both in the 

 normal body and in connection with the lesions of disease, with- 

 out at the same time causing any great injury to the living tissue. 



To date but few tests of this kind have been made. This is 

 due to the fact that streptococci are difficult to cultivate and 

 require special, not easily prepared media, for their recognition in 

 plates. The more important contributions to this subject to date 

 have been made by Lingelsheim' and by Post and Nicoir. 



The purpose of the research here reported was to determine the 

 germicidal efifects of various chemical agents on streptococci with 

 the hope of finding the most effective germicides in the presence 

 of albuminous fluids such as are represented by the various fluids 

 of the body. 



TECHNIC 



1. Exactly 5 c. c. of each of a number of dilutions of the germi- 

 cide are measured into as many tubes. The same pipet may be 

 used for the whole series by beginning with the lowest dilution. 

 Tubes should be marked and placed in regular order in the racks. 



2. With a sterile pipet, from 0.1 to 0.5 c. c. (to be varied as 

 may be necessary) of a twenty-four-hour broth culture of the 

 ore^anism is added to each of the above test tubes at intervals of 



