5S 
streptococci in I c.c. of water and that even when present 
the number is usually small (71 streptococci out of 1908 sub- 
cultures).”’ 
From these figures it will be seen that the results obtained 
in India and in Europe coincide to a remarkable degree ; 
only the facts observed in England appear to be more intensi- 
fied in this country. Streptococci are rare in such polluted 
rivers as the Thames and the Lee in England. They are 
infinitely rarer in rivers and lakes in India. On the other 
hand, they are occasionally met with in places where recent 
and gross pollution takes place. 
The contrast between the results obtained from fresh 
feeces and our water-supplies is very great. 
Obviously the next point is to investigate the reasons 
for this rapid disappearance of an organism which is so 
common in feces. In order to do this several experiments 
were carried out. 
(1) Ordinary Winchester quart bottles were taken and 
filled with Calcutta tap water, which is free from streptococci. 
A few grammes of our crude sewage used in the Chemical 
Laboratory were added to this. The mouth of the bottle was 
blocked up with cotton-wool, and the mixture was allowed 
to stand. An analysis of this fresh mixture showed that 
there were usually between 100 and 1000 lactose fermenting, 
coliform organisms per c.c. of the mixture, and between 10 
and 100 streptococci in the same quantity. The bottles were 
allowed to stand in the laboratory at a temperature of 
80°—85°F. The mixture was carefully shaken up, and exam- 
ined for the presence of streptococci daily. Ten such 
experiments were carried out; one of which, however, con- 
tained no streptococci at all in the original mixture. Of 
the other nine the results were as follows :—The cocci were 
present after 24 hours in seven bottles, in two they had disap- 
peared. In three a few chains could be found in 20 c.c. of the 
emulsion after 48 hours, in six they had disappeared entirely. 
In 72 hours no cocci could be found in any of the mixtures. 
These experiments are particularly interesting, because they 
differ very materially from work that has been published by 
3 
