564 ABSTRACTS 



A Study of Endameba Buccalis in Alveolodental Pyorrhoea. F. M. 



Johns. (Am. Jour. Trop. Dis. and Prevent. Med., 1916, 7, 372- 



376.) 



The first part of this paper deals with a microscopic study of the 

 lesion — demonstrating the presence of the Endameba buccalis in great- 

 est numbers penetrating the healthy peridental tissue beyond the super- 

 ficial zone of suppuration, and not living in the mass of bacteria, pus 

 and semi-necrotic material filling the pocket. 



Phagocytosis of bacteria is only noted in the few atypical forms that 

 are swept into the pus of the pocket. From the depths of the lesion 

 only a large nucleated cell is found to be constantly ingested. 



Reproduction in the lesion is apparently only by bilateral fission. 

 Cyst formation was not observed. 



A significant fact was in the adhesion of numbers of bacteria to the 

 ameba when observed in fresh and wet fixed preparations. 



Endamebae following the injection of emetin are gradually decreased 

 in numbers without any visible morphological or biological changes 

 being produced. Forms in active reproduction are found up to the 

 complete disappearance, the inference being drawn that the action of 

 emetin upon pathogenic amebae is an indirect one in the dosage chn- 

 ically possible. — F. M. J. 



BACTERIOLOGY OF WATER AND SEWAGE 



Bacterial Counts in Water Examination. J. Race. (Amer. Jour, of 

 Pub. Health., 1916, 6, 488-496.) 

 The conclusions as given by the author are: 



1. Not one of the media used at any one of the incubation periods 

 or temperatures chosen gives a bacterial count that bears a constant 

 ratio to the organisms of excremental origin as estimated by the B. 

 coll test. 



2. The blood heat count is the nearest to the B. coli content. 



3. The largest count is obtained by the use of nutrient gelatin. 



4. The bacterial count varies directly with the incubation period and 

 inversely with the incubation temperature. 



5. The largest count in the shortest incubation period is obtained 

 at 27°C. 



6. The ratio of the count at a given temperature to the count at a 

 higher temperature decreases as the temperature of the water increases. 



D. G. 



Bacteria in Commercial Bottled Waters. Maud Mason Obst. (Bul- 

 letin No. 369, U. S. Dept. of Agr.) 

 The paper is based on results obtained from the examinations in the 



Bureau of Chemistry during the last six years of from 1 to 17 samples 



of bottled waters from each of 110 American springs and from 57 sources 



in foreign countries. 



