CLOSTRIDIUM PUTRIFICUiM 507 



'riicic lias been considerable discussion as to whether C. pulri- 

 Jicnin attacks carbohydrates. Bienstock did not deal with 

 this pliase in his earher work. Tissier and Martclly (Ul()_') 

 showed tliat it does not act upon glucose, or at most only slifrhtly. 

 In a later publication (190()) Bienstock confirms the observations 

 of Tissier and Martclly, and of Rodella (1905), and holds that 

 (\ piilrijicnin does not attack any of the carbohydrates, and that 

 the minute quantities of acid formed in sugar media arise from 

 the decomposition of protein. This organism occupies a uiii(iu(' 

 position, therefore, among the anaerobes, in that it attacks i)ro- 

 teins but not carbohydrates a]ipreciably if at all. Bienstock's 



Fig. 2. Colony ox l.G Pek cknt Glucose -Vcau. Imuhatei) 10 Days at 37°C. 



''B. parapittrifiais," on the other hand, did attack carbohy- 

 drates with acid and gas formation. 



In the recent reports of the British Medical Research Com- 

 mittee, C. pidrificum is described as being saccharolytic to the 

 extent of acting upon glucose, maltose, lactose, sucrose and 

 starch. Thej' even go further (1919) and consider it to be, 

 not an entity or distinct species, but a mixture perhaps of C. 

 tiporogrnes and C. tertiinn or of C. sporogenci and C. cochleareiis. 



In our own stud}' of this organism its uniciuc position appears 

 to be so clearh' defined and its characters arc found to be so 

 outstanding that we see no reason for mistaking it for any other 

 anaerobe or mixture of anaerobes. Because of the fact that 



