134 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



7. Pathogenicity. 



The organism is not pathogenic. Two rabbits were inoculated 

 subcutaneously, one with a pure culture of the organism, grown on 

 agar and suspended in salt, and the other with a salt suspension 

 obtained by scraping the red surface of infected cod. Neither of 

 these animals showed any ill effects. One of us, rather sensitive to 

 a number of fish proteins, has eaten a considerable quantity of cooked 

 red cod without experiencing any result. Cooked finnan haddie was 

 one day sent to the laboratory, after a considerable amount of it 

 had been served as part of a meal. There was marked red colouration 

 on the finnan haddie. No ill effect followed the eating of this dis- 

 coloured fish. In this connection the important work of Mauriac 

 may be again cited. His investigations showed that neither human 

 beings nor animals suffered the least trace of poisoning from eating 

 reddened codfish. 



8. Other Organisms Isolated from Reddened Codfish and Able to Grow 



on High Percentages of Salt. 



A brief description of other organisms isolated from reddened 

 codfish is included in this outline because of their halophilic char- 

 acteristics and because some of them undoubtedly take part in the 

 subsequent decomposition of the codfish. 



An organism, which, growing on 16 per cent, salt fish agar 

 developed as a sulphur yellow colony, was isolated and cultured. 

 Microscopical preparations showed the presence of cocci, slightly 

 more than 1 /x in diameter. They stained well with LoefBer's methy- 

 lene blue, and were Gram positive. Growth on beef peptone agar, 

 v/hen incubated at 37° C. for two days, was abundant, slightly spread- 

 ing, raised, glistening, smooth, translucent, bright yellow colour, and 

 possessed no odour. Growth at 22° C. for two days was more abun- 

 dant, but in other respects the same as at 37° C. In a gelatine stab 

 inoculation the growth was uniform, filiform, but there was no lique- 

 faction. In a beef broth culture, incubated at 37° C. for two days, a 

 pellicle was formed on the surface of the broth, and a flaky precipitate 

 appeared upon shaking the tube. Growth at 22° C. for two days was 

 practically the same. There was no change in either milk or litmus 

 milk inoculated and incubated at 37° C. or at 22° C. for two days — 

 nor even at the end of seven days. On fish agar slopes containing 

 16 per cent, solar salt, incubated at 37° C. for two days, growth was 

 abundant, filiform, raised, glistening, smooth, translucent, and sulphur 

 yellow colour, not so vivid as on beef peptone agar. When incubated 

 at 22° C. for two days growth was very much the same. On brine 



