602 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Formation of Conidia by a Bacillus.* — M. Engel draws attention 

 to the discovery of the fact that certain Bacilli taken from a woman 

 during childbirth produced, when placed in Pasteur's solution, conidia ; 

 he points out that this observation was published before the paper of 

 Koch on the same subject, and he states that he has applied to the 

 Bacillus in question the specific name of puerperalis. The body from 

 which the blood containing the Bacillus was taken had a peculiar 

 odour; and the blood when injected into a rabbit produced death in 

 thirty-six hours, whereas the conidia had no poisonous effect. The 

 author further draws attention to what he believes to be an error in the 

 statement! ^^^^ ^ species of Leptotlirix had produced illness, and is of 

 opinion that the form, if immobile, is probably one of the Bacteridia, 

 and, if mobile, is in all likelihood the Bacillus discovered by M. 

 Spillmann, and examined and described by himself. 



Fermentation of Cellulose.:]: — As long ago as 1850, Mitscherlich 

 announced the fact that cellulose can be made to ferment ; and in 1865, 

 Trecul found that this fermentation is due to minute amylaceous 

 particles to which he gave the name Amylobacter. Van Tieghem has 

 now determined that the various forms of this body which Trecul 

 described, are different states of the same bacterium belonging to the 

 genus Bacillus, to which he gives the name Bacillus Amylobacter. 



This bacterium attacks the cell-wall, which it finally destroys, with- 

 out in any way affecting the cell-contents, whether albuminoid or amyla- 

 ceous. It does not however attack aU cell-walls indifferently, except 

 in the case of the embryo. Those tissues have the greatest powers of 

 resisting its attacks which are cuticularized, suberized, lignified, or 

 encrusted with mineral substances. Gelatinous tissues are especially 

 liable to be disintegrated by it. In aquatic plants the cellulose, even 

 of the stem and leaves, has a remarkable power of resisting the attacks 

 of this agent. The spores of Amylobacter, like those of other bacteria, 

 have the power of resisting without injury a lengthened exposure to 

 a temperature of 100^ C, or that of boiling water. The first effect of 

 Amylobacter is to transform cellulose or soluble starch (it has no effect 

 on insoluble starch) first into dextrin and then into glucose, with 

 elimination of carbonic acid, and production of an acid the exact 

 composition of which is not yet determined. The action of the Amy- 

 lobacter on cellulose apj)ears to be direct, without the intervention of 

 a diastase. 



Resistance of Germs to a Temperature of 100" C.§— M, Ch. 



Chamberland has already shown the existence of a microscojjic organ- 

 ism (Bacillus subtilis ? of Cohn) having the following i^roperties : — 



1st, It is exclusively aerobian, and does not develoj) at all in a 

 perfect vacuum or in pure carbonic acid. 



2nd. It grows in almost all organic liquids (infusions of yeast, 

 hay, carrots, &c.), provided they are previously neutralized by potash. 

 There is no development in acid liquids, 



3rd, It gives rise to germs or spores which, in neutral media, resist 



* ' Comptes Rendus,' Isxxviii. (1879) p, 976. 



t See this Journal, ii. (1879) p. 454. 



X ' Comptes Rendus,' Ixsxviii. (1879), p. 205. § Ibid., p. G.")9. 



