126 ABSTRACTS 



Agglutination Test as a Means of Studying the Presence of Bacterium 

 abortus in Milk. L. H. Cooledge. (J. Agr. Res., 1916, 5, 871-875). 

 In testing a large number of samples of milk to determine the pres- 

 ence of the causal organism of contagious abortion, the only pre- 

 viously proposed technique that proved available was animal inocu- 

 lat'on — an unsatisfactory procedure because of the length of time re- 

 quired. The writer, has therefore, worked out a method of employing 

 the agglutination test, using 48-hour agar cultures of B. abortus as 

 antigen. Negative results by this test always indicated absence of the 

 organism in question; but positive results did not necessarily prove its 

 presence. In making a long series of tests, however, it was found to 

 reduce the number of suspicious cases sufficiently so that the use of 

 animal inoculation was practical in those few cases in which some 

 particular cow's milk did cause agglutination.— H. J. C. 



Study of Condensed and Evaporated Milks. Ida A. Bengston. Jour. 



Home Econ., 1916, 8, 29-33. 



The present extensive use of condensed and evaporated milk products 

 makes the proper control of manufacture, and the establishment of 

 standards of purity and food value imperative. Meager work has 

 been done on the bacteriology of these milk products. The methods 

 of preparation of evaporated milk may assure a sterile product. This 

 is not true, however, of condensed milk. The bacteria found are chiefly 

 those that survive pasteurization, and their number may be as high as 

 1,000,000 per cc. The high sugar content of the condensed milk 

 inhibits the multiplication of many forms. 



Streptococci, staphylococci, B. sporogenes, lactic acid producing 

 bacilli, B. subtilis, B. mesentericus, B. coli, and yeasts have been found. 

 — C. M. H. 



DISINFECTION 



Phenol Coefficient of Germicides. F. B. Kilmer, A. W. Clark and P. 



Hamiton. (Jour. Ind. and Eng. Chem., 1916, 8, 45. 



Study of reliability of Hygienic Laboratory method for testing dis- 

 infectants. Tests made in two laboratories gave concordant results 

 provided following medium was used: Liebig's extract, 3 grams; 

 salt, 5 grams; Peptone (Witte), 10 grams; water, 1000 cc; Composition 

 of medium important. — I. J. K. 



IMMUNOLOGY 



Anaphylatoxin and the Mechanism of Anaphylaxis. Richard Weil. 



Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol, and Med., 1915, 13, 37-39. 



Precipitin is identical with the antibody effective in passive sensiti- 

 zation. Precipitating antibody heated at 72° for one-half hour lost 

 its capacity to bind complement in the presence of antigen but still 

 retained its sensitizing value as shown by injection into anmials. llie 



