100 JOURNAL OF THE [JunC, 



by Dr. Robert Koch and other careful workers. It was not until 

 1883, however, after the introduction of the new methods of 

 bacteria cultivation, that these bacilli were isolated and studied 

 in pure cultures. This was done by Dr. Gaffky, in Wurtzburg. 

 Gaffky's work ceased at this point, as he was unable to repro- 

 duce the disease in either mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, doves, 

 chickens, calves, or monkeys, by inoculation with these pure 

 cultures. During the past year Dr. Pfeiffer, of Uresbaden, an- 

 nounced that he had been able to isolate the bacilli from the 

 excreta of typhoid-fever patients, thereby confirming previous 

 ideas as to the cause of epidemics of the disease. 



" Within a few months past Dr. E. Fraenkel and Dr. M. Sim- 

 monds, of Hamburg, have published a pamphlet^ containing their 

 experiments, which, if confirmed, will practically prove that 

 these bacilli are the cause of the disease. They worked on over 

 thirty fatal cases, in an epidemic in their city, and in twenty- 

 five of these cases were able to isolate the typhoid bacilli. They 

 also isolated these bacilli from the excreta, and made an elabor- 

 ate series of inoculations with their pure cultures on mice, 

 rabbits, and guinea pigs, and in quite a number of cases obtained 

 positive results." 



NINE-PRONGED WHEEL-BUG. 



The President : " I exhibit a recently hatched specimen of 

 the Nine-pronged Wheel-bug {Rediivius novenarius. Say). It be- 

 longs to the order Hemiptera, and the sub-order Heteroptera, of 

 which the Squash bug is a familiar example. It receives its 

 popular name from a singular crest, situated longitudinally on 

 the back of the thorax of the mature insect, resembling an erect 

 segment or a wheel, provided on its outer edge with nine pro- 

 jections like short spokes or cogs. This creature is an eminent 

 assistant to the gardener and farmer. From the very moment of its 

 birth, it employs its time in searching for noxious insects, which 

 it destroys in great numbers. It is said, the adult must be 

 handled with care, for with its powerful beak it is able to in- 

 flict a wound more painful than the sting of a hornet. 



'* In this young specimen it may be noticed, that the legs are 

 long and stout, the tarsal claws well developed ; the antenna 

 have the distal joints of an orange hue ; the large beak is bent 



' Die Aetiologishe Bedentuns des Typhus Bacillus. Von Dr. E. Fraenkel und Dr. 

 M. Simmonds. Hamburg & Leipzig : Leopold Yoss, 1886. 



