1392 Journal of Applied Microscopy 



to be regarded as stages in the development of the higher fungi. This conclus- 

 ion is no new one, inasmuch as it was advanced in the early days of bacteriological 

 study ; but it has been revived in recent years, because of evidence based upon quite 

 new data. The most important fact pointing in this direction has been the dis- 

 covery among some bacteria, for example the tubercle bacillus and the diphtheria 

 bacillus, of undoubted branching forms. Branching is not supposed to be char- 

 acteristic of typical bacilli, and wherever it occurs has suggested a relation to 

 some of the higher fungi. Our author believes that the evidence for the branch- 

 ing of bacilli hitherto advanced is not quite conclusive, being of the opinion that 

 many or most of the facts may possibly be explained upon the ground that the 

 branching forms are degenerate types. He conceives that the spirilli are the 

 most promising organisms for the proper solution of the question, and makes, 

 therefore, a careful study of Spirilhim riibrum. Under proper culture media he 

 is able to obtain undoubted instances of branching forms of this spirillum, seve- 

 ral excellent photographs of which are given. Whether these branching forms 

 are to be regarded as normal or as degenerate types, he is unable positively to 

 ascertain, inasmuch as the various branches do not all show the typical spiral 

 coiling, and he concludes that if the branching is a normal feature, every branch 

 should become spirally coiled and should, perhaps, subsequently show branching 

 in turn. These characters he does not find, and while, therefore, he is confident 

 that these spirilli have a true branching, he is unable to determine positively 

 whether it can be regarded as a normal or abnormal character. The question of 

 the relation of bacilli to the higher moulds is therefore left still uncertain. 



H. w. c. 



Some investigators of cholera epidemics 

 Bliesener. Beitrag zur Lehre von Sporen- , i j .u i ■ r 



bildung. Zeit.i Hyg. 32: 71, 1901. ^'^^'^ x^^&y^A the conclusion, from van- 



ous facts connected with the distribution 

 of the disease, such as the breaking out of the disease anew in the spring after 

 a season of winter weather, or its sudden appearance in localities after having 

 disappeared for a long time, that this bacillus must, under certain circumstances, 

 produce spores or, at least, resisting forms capable of lying dormant for a long 

 time. The author has obtained direct evidence that something of this kind 

 occurs. A quantity of water contaminated with a large amount of organic mate- 

 rial was filtered, and subsequently steriHzed by discontinuous heat ; into this a 

 small amount of cholera bacillus was inoculated and, after some time, the author 

 finds in the precipitate, which appears at the bottom, a number of oval, highly 

 refractive bodies, which, in appearance and their relation to stains resemble 

 spores. Experimental evidence which followed showed him that these were 

 forms of the cholera bacillus, since they develop into the typical forms. He is- 

 inclined to believe, therefore, that they are spores of the cholera bacillus, but 

 recognizes that the conclusion is not very satisfactory, inasmuch as a half hour 

 heating at a temperature of 50° C is sufficient to destroy the vitality of these 

 bodies, whereas true spores resist a much higher heat. In spite of this, the 

 author is inclined to believe that he has discovered a spore formation in the 

 cholera bacillus. h. w. c. 



