ABSTRACTS 



381 



Inoculation of blood containing spirochaetes into rabbits conveyed 

 the disease to these animals. After death spirochaetes were present 

 in all the organs, but could not be cultivated upon artificial media. 



In nearly every case, the louse could be considered as the carrier 

 of the infection, and the prevention of lousiness was a necessary step 

 in eradicating the disease. — M. W. C. 



Colon Bacillus Infection of the Bladder. R. T. Morris. (New York 

 Med. Jour., 1916, 103, 631-632.) . , . .u 



Many cases of cystitis of obscure origin may be due to the colon 

 bacillus, as this bacillus is sometimes found upon examination of the 

 urine, and conditions similar to cystitis have been induced m experi- 

 mental animals by injecting Bacillus coli into the bladder. 



The differences in the type of infection are probably due to the 

 particular strain of colon bacillus causing the condition, for there is 

 a wide variation among the members of this group. According to 

 the recent work of Rosenow it may even be possible that unusual 

 types of cystitis are caused by other bacilli, which have assumed the 

 form of B. coli. Uncertain action of vaccines in cases of colon bacillus 

 infection is perhaps due to such a variation in the infecting organism. 

 Colon bacilli may be responsible for any of the widely different 

 manifestations of cystitis. , , , , , ui 



The mode of entrance of the colon bacillus into the bladder probably 

 differs with varying conditions.— M. W. C. 



Studies on Diphtheria. II. The Treatment of Diphtheria Carriers by 



Tonsillectomy. H. 0. Run, M. J. Miler and R. G. Perkins. (Journ. 



A. M. A., 1916, 66, 941-943.) ,. . ,^ ^ ,, ,, . , . 



The termination of the carrier condition through the use oi biologi- 

 cal or chemical methods did not meet with great success. 



In a series of 19 cases tonsillectomy was performed. The average 

 duration of the carrier state before operative treatment was resorted 

 to was 31 days. The average duration of release from quarantine 

 after the tonsillectomy was 8 days. . . • , , , 



In all cases cultures made from the crypts after excision yielded 

 Bacillus diphtheriae in nearly pure culture although surface cultures 

 were frequently negative. — G. H, S. 



Bacteriological Work at the American Ajnbulance. Orville F. Rogers 

 and George Benet. (Bost. Med. and Surg. Jour., 1916, 174, 418.) 

 The authors report on the bacteriological work done in the Harvard 



University Service of the American Ambulance from April 1 to July 



1, 1915. , , . • nf 



From 100 men examined 28 showed gas-producmg organisms. Ut 



these 28, 18 were obtained in pure culture and run through sugar 



media. The authors conclude that sugar media are not suitable for the 



differentiation of the gas-producing bacilli. 



"The majority of cultures showed staphylococci either alone {60) 



