754 RECORD OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



of the apical ridge is limited. In the whole of its anterior portion 

 cell-division has completely ceased when about four rows of archegonia 

 have been formed. The conclusion of growth is always indicated by 

 the pushing forwards of the archegonia close up to the cells of the 

 apical ridge ; they therefore appear to be directed towards tlio 

 margin. Archegonia were never seen to originate from the cells of 

 the marginal ridge. Since no further growth takes place in the 

 anterior direction, the posterior cells on both sides of the ridge which 

 are nearest the macrospore retain their power of division. There 

 remains therefore on each side a zone of growth, increasing down- 

 wards, by the activity of which a relatively broad wing-like 

 appendage is produced. In this zone of growth archegonia are con- 

 tinually being produced, and especially on the prolongation of the 

 ridge of the prothallium ; and since at the same time growth ceases 

 gradually downwards in the marginal cells, new archegonia are also 

 produced laterally towards the margin. Since the new archegonia 

 are produced in acropetal succession, a further resemblance of the 

 Salviniaceae to ferns is here indicated. 



Bauke has also made an additional observation on the formation 

 of the ventral canal-cell of the archegonium. While the canal of the 

 neck is at first filled with granular protoplasm, there is finally only a 

 very small granular string left within the mucilage, the loss of mass 

 being very striking. The formation of the mucilage is therefore a 

 process of excretion or growth rather than simply of swelling. This 

 indicates a similar origin of the mucilage to that in the case of ferns. 

 No rhizoids were ever observed on the jDrothallium of Salvinia, such 

 as occur in Marsilea. 



Fungi. 



Contribution to the Germ Theory.* — Dr. Eobert Koch has pub- 

 lished an important monograph on the eetiology of infectious traumatic 

 diseases (Wundiufectionskrankheiten). The paper opens with a defi- 

 nition of the diseases treated of, and a review of the present state of 

 our knowledge with regard to contagium vivum, and of the arguments 

 for and against the doctrine. Then follows a description of the 

 author's method of research, and then the most important part of the 

 work, a detailed description of his exact and laborious experiments 

 on artificial traumatic diseases. 



1. Scpticwmia in Mice. — Putrid blood or infusion of meat was in- 

 jected uuder the skin of the back. Characteristic symj)toms showed 

 themselves, and the animals died in four to eight hours. No bacteria 

 were found beyond those injected, so that in this case the disease was 

 evidently due to a soluble poison (sepsin), and not to the agency of 

 microphytes. In correspondence with this no efiect was produced by 

 very small injections (1 to 2 drops), except in about one-third of the 

 cases. In these, different but equally characteristic symptoms super- 

 vened, death took place in about fifty hours, and a post mortem 

 examination showed the blood to be crowded with small bacilli about 

 1 /x in length, which occurred in the vessels of all organs of the 



* ' Untoisuchungeu iiber die Aetiologie der Wuudiufectiouakraukbuitcu,' 

 Leipzig, 1878. 



