98 THE MICROSCOPE. July 



carbolic acid show that the popular idea, shared per- 

 haps by some physicians, that an odor of tarbolic acid 

 in the sick room and other places is evidence that the 

 place is disinfected, is entirely fallacious." Dr. Stern- 

 berg considers the fumes of sulphur and of peroxide of 

 hydrogen reliable disinfectants, in the proportion of 1 

 volume of either to 100 volumes of air. 



In this connection, it may be mentioned that, while 

 micro-organisms require a certain quantity of oxygen to 

 enable them to subsist, yet any considerable addition to 

 that quantity appears, as a rule, to cause death. The 

 inhalation of oxygen, which gas can now be obtained 

 from the atmosphere at a very moderate cost, is likely 

 to be thoroughly tested as an alleviative in lung diseases, 

 and oxy-serated water will undoubtedly be given a trial 

 in cases- of dyspepsia and diabetes. 



There are three different classes of micro-organisms. 

 This article deals exclusively with the pathogenic mi- 

 crobes — those which are productive of disease. The 

 other two classes are zymogenic — productive of fermen- 

 tation, and chromogenic — producing color. Low forms 

 of life (call them animal or vegetable, as you please), 

 such as microbes or rhicro-organisms, reproduce their 

 species in different ways, some by fission, which is a 

 simple division into two parts, each of those parts event- 

 ually becoming a perfect, full-sized adult: others by 

 spores, or buds which grow at the end of prolongations, 

 and ultimately leave the parent, thus becoming distinct 

 individuals. The former variety has been named " bac- 

 teria," the latter ''bacilli." The distinction between the 

 two is of the utmost importance, because a degree of 

 heat which will inhibit the growth of the most minute 

 bacteria, is not likely to exercise any influence upon the 

 spores of bacilli, although it may temporarily retard, or 

 permanently destroy, the disease producing power of 

 the full-grown specimens. 



