216 



granules differ from spiroclietes in a large number of characters 

 and re-actions; (12) they exist normally in many Acarids ; (13) 

 the authors have not observed in spirochetes living in an inverte- 

 brate host any morphological modifications which could be con- 

 sidered as anything else than bacteria. 



In the second part of their paper the authors summarise their 

 conclusions as follows: — (1) The injection of equal quantities of 

 the ground pulp of Argas sometimes causes infection and some- 

 times gives immunity ; (2) the infective quality depends upon the 

 number of spirilla which the Acarids contain; (3) it is possible 

 to measure the infective dose, the vaccination dose and the inert 

 dose ; (4) all the organs of Argas are invaded by the parasites ; (5) 

 the spirochetes pass from the coelom into the acini of the salivary 

 glands and gather together in their excretory duct ; (6) the secre- 

 tion of the salivary glands is the vehicle of infection ; (7) the 

 spirochetes are found in a great number of the cephalic glands 

 and can pass through the chitinous membrane of the e^g\ (8) a 

 single egg of Argas persicus may contain more than 30 spiro- 

 chetes. 



Klixg (C.) & Levaditi (C). Etudes sur la Poliomyelite Aigue 

 Epidemique. [Studies of Acute Epidemic Poliomyelitis.] — 

 Ann. Inst. Pasteur, Paris, xxvii, no, 9, 25th Sept. 1913, pp. 

 718-749 (1st article). 



The authors have studied the various methods by which the 

 contagion of poliomyelitis may be carried, and devote several 

 pages to a consideration of the possible transmission of the virus 

 by insects. They say that the fact that epidemic poliomyelitis 

 generally rages during summer and autumn, being usually rare 

 in winter, at least suggests the possibility that insects may be 

 one of the means of transmission. Tlies, bugs, mosquitos and 

 Stomod'jjs calcitrans have in their turn been accused. The 

 authors give a summary of their own investigations in this direc- 

 tion as follows : — 



(1) Musca domestica. — They are of opinion that the experi- 

 ments of Flexner and Clark were too artificial to be of value (Jl. 

 Amer. Med. Soc. 6th June 1911), and that the only deduction 

 that could be made was, that the virus contained in the nervous 

 system of infected monkeys was preserved for a relatively short 

 time in the bodies of flies, and that these might possibly play a 

 purely mechanical part in the propagation of the poison. More 

 recent attempts of Josef son (L'Institut Med. de L'Etat, Stock- 

 holm, iii, 1912, p. 169) were carried out under more ordinary 

 conditions and w^ere completely negative. The authors made 

 four experiments with house-flies, Stovioxys and mosquitos which 

 had been exposed to contact with patients, in all cases the result 

 was negative, and they are of opinion that, without denying 

 entirely the possibility of the propagation of infantile paralysis 

 by means of flies in a purely mechanical manner, there is no 

 sufficient proof that this ever really occurs. 



(2) Bed-Bugs. — The authors say that bugs may possibly spread 

 infection among different members of the same family, but it is 

 difficult to imagine the transport of the poison by bugs from one 



