478 Transactions of the Canadian Institute. [Vol.. VII. 



more or less injurious forms which may occasionally find temporary 

 lodgment in the udder. Exception, however, may occur, as we have the 

 gas and taint producing bacillus located by Ward and Moore in the 

 udders of the cows of a particular herd. 



Another fact that may have a bearing on this problem is that 

 normal healthy organs, taken from the body immediately after death, 

 may contain bacteria which are capable of development. Thus, 

 Ford^^ has shown that 80 per cent, of healthy organs, removed from 

 killed guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs and cats, contained living bacteria. No 

 udder tissues were examined by him, and in order to ascertain if 

 bacteria existed in the udder of healthy animals a few experiments were 

 made along these lines, but they are open to criticism because it is 

 impossible to say, with any degree of certainty, that the bacteria found 

 came from the animal's glands or blood, or from infection through the 

 teat. However, by selection of cows which had been dry for several 

 weeks before slaughter, the latter objection is to some extent overcome. 

 The liver was examined at the same time, and its bacterial content, if 

 any, noted. 



The methods employed in this work were essentially those used by 

 Ford — a large piece of the tissue to be examined was excised with a 

 sterilized knife, placed in a sterile jar, and immediately taken from the 

 slaughter house to the laboratory. Small pieces of tissues were then cut 

 from the inside of the large piece with sterilized knives, and then held in 

 the flame of a Bunsen burner with sterilized forceps, until the whole of 

 the outside of the piece was well scorched. The piece was then trans- 

 ferred to beef bouillon or peptone whey bouillon, and the preparations 

 placed in the incubator at -^"j". On the fourth day gelatine plates were 

 made from the different pieces of tissue, and the bacteria, if anj', were 

 isolated. 



I. An aged cow, dried up five weeks before slaughtering, udder 

 small, with considerable fatty tissue. All organs perfectly healthy. 



Bouillon. Peptone Whey. 



Liver + + 



Subsequent plating and sub-cultures gave : — 



B. mesentiricus vulgatus. 



B. subtilis, and a Micrococcus, identity not established. 



Bouillon. Whey Peptone. 



Udder -\- + 



