(503 ) 
Neither is indican decomposed by sections of branches or leaves 
of apricots, pears, apples, peaches, while in the kernels of the fruits 
of these species a feebly decomposing emulsine is found. 
Malt, malt-diastase, pancreas, papayotine, pepsine and saliva are 
inactive; likewise mustard-seed and myrosine prepared from T'ropae- 
olum majus. 
Glucase, from maize dees not decompose indican, which is the 
more noteworthy as amygdaline is decomposed by it. 
4. Decomposition of Indican by Microbes in general. 
Mr. Moriscu has drawn attention to the fact, that various species 
of microbes give rise to indigo-formation from indican and that 
others do not, which may be rendered useful for differential diagnosis. 
He experimented with the decoct of Polygonum tinctorium or Indigo- 
fera mixed with agar or gelatine, pouring it out to plates and 
using these as a solid nutrient. Aerobics and temporary anaerobics 
from the soil or from canal water sown out on it will develop, 
and in and around the colonies which split the indican, indigo-blue 
will separate out in microscopic lumps or globules which often show 
erystal structure. The ,indican microbes” are in this way elegantly 
distinguished as pigment-microbes among the non-decomposers. *) 
The indican, as a powder, may be added in a percentage of 0.5 
to 1 pCt. to solid or liquid nutrients, adapted for the examination 
of specific mikrobe groups. 
P. aviculare, P. fagopyrum, P. bistorta, P. sacchalinense, Trifolium repens, T. pratense, 
Medicago sativa, Lotus corniculata, Pisum sativum, Vicia faba, Robinia pseudoacacia, 
Baptisia australis, Melilotus caeruleus, Spiraea filipendula, S. ulmaria, Rubia tinctorium, 
Asperula odorata, Solanum tuberosum, Amsonia saticifolia, Asclepias cornuti, Scorzonera 
hispanica, Linaria vulgaris, Stellaria holostea, Cochlearia armoracia, Brassicca oleracea, 
Isatis tinctoria, Iris germanica. 
1) Sitz.ber. der Akad. d. Wiss, zu Wien. Math. Naturw.Classe, Bd. 107, p. 758, 
1898. Mr. Motisch enumerates the following species as decomposing indican : 
Bacillus anthracis, B. prodigiosus, Streptothrix odorifera, 8. dichotoma, Sarcine lutea, 
Penicillium sp. and Mucor mucedo ; as non-decomposing: Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylo- 
coccus pyogenes aureus, Bacillus subtilis, B. coli communis, B. fluorescens liquefaciens, 
B. megatherium and pressed yeast. Mr. vaN HasseLT and I saw no decomposition with 
Acetobacter aceti, A. ranscens, Bacillus cyaneus, B. cyanoyenus, B. pyocyaneus, B. 
diastaticus, B. prodigiosus, B. pseudotuberculosis. Many spore-forming bacteria, such 
as B. subtilis, B. megatherium, B. pulcher, B. mesentericus and others sometimes 
decompuse and sometimes do not. Further there is no indican splitting by beer- 
yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), wine-yeast (S. ellipsoideus), pressed-veast (S. panis), 
S. mycoderma, 8. passularum, S. uvarum, Schizosaccharomyes octosporus, S. pombe and 
by the following moulds; Aspergillus niger, A. oryzae, Amylomyces rouxii, Mucor oryzae, 
Oidium lactis, Endomyces magnusii. 
