BACTERIAL DECOMPOSITION OF SALMON 359 



twenty-four hours, while in four other lots bacteria were not re- 

 covered from this part of the digestive tract until the salmon 

 had been held seventy-two hours. 



Living bacteria were found in the intestine of a salmon from 

 one lot immediately on being caught. The intestine in this 

 case contained some partly digested food. In 3 other lots bac- 

 teria were not found in the intestine until the fish had been out 

 of water forty-eight, seventy-two and ninety-six hours respec- 

 tively. In one lot no bacteria were found after the fish had been 

 held for ninety-six hours. 



In examining the heart's blood of 4 lots of salmon no bacteria 

 were obtained when the fish was first caught. In 2 lots living 

 bacteria were found in the heart's blood after twenty-four hours, 

 in one lot after forty-eight hours and in the other lot after the 

 fish had been held seventy-two hours. 



Blood in the large vessels among the viscera was examined and 

 no bacteria were found in the blood stream when the fish were 

 fresh. In one lot bacteria were obtained from the blood stream 

 after twenty-four hours and in the other lots they were found 

 after forty-eight hours. It was noted that even at the end of 

 ninety-six hours the blood in these vessels had not coagulated. 



The kidneys of 6 lots of salmon were examined and in 3 lots 

 no bacteria were found after ninety-six hours. In the other 3 

 lots living microorganisms were found after the fish had been 

 held forty-eight hours. 



The livers of 4 lots of salmon were examined and were always 

 found to be sterile. 



Direct smears from the parts examined and smears from the 

 cultures obtained have shown that the organisms obtained from 

 the viscera and the blood stream are at least morphologically 

 similar to those present in the mouth and gills during the first 

 twenty-four hours. These organisms have been isolated and 

 are now being made the subject of a further study, the results 

 of which will be presented in a later paper. 



In regard to the physical appearance of the fish it was noted 

 that during the first forty-eight hours, at the temperatures on 

 Puget Sound, no marked decomposition takes place. The eyes 

 of the fish remain bright; the gills are red with no foul odors; the 



