197 
twenty-four hours in a warm place, numerous mycelial fila- 
ments were seen to protrude from the spores. Other expe- 
riments confirmed the conclusion that the vitality of these 
spores is not destroyed by simple boiling. Some of Dr. Bas- 
tian’s results are explained by Mr. Lowne as due to the 
accidental presence of foreign substances; for instance, cer- 
tain ‘‘ spiral organisms”’ described by Dr. Bastian are believed 
by Mr. Lowne to be filaments of spider’s silk, which are, by 
the action of alkaline solutions, caused to twist into a spiral 
form. 
Striated Muscular Fibre in Gasteropods—W. H. Dall 
(‘American Journal of Science and Arts,’ February, 1871, 
p. 123) has observed striated muscular fibre in a species of 
Acmea ; and believes “ that this is the first instance in which 
it has been shown to exist in the class Gasteropoda.” 
Fungus as a cause of Whooping-cough.—The germ theory 
of disease, which some pathologists seek to extend so widely, 
has been applied by Dr. Letzerich (‘ Virchow’s Archiv,’ 
vol. xlix, p. 530, 1870) to explain the extremely infectious 
disease whooping-cough. He thinks he has discovered a 
form of fungoid growth which vegetates in the epithelium 
of the air-passages, and by its irritation causes the convul- 
sive attacks of coughing. The expectorated mucus in patients 
suffering from this disease is said to contain masses of brownish- 
red spores with occasional threads of mycelium, which in 
later stages of the disease becomes very abundant. The 
spores are coloured blue by iodine and sulphuric acid. These 
observations were controlled first by cultivation of the spores 
on pieces of bread soaked in milk, and further by introducing 
masses of the fungus growth thus obtained into the trachea of 
young rabbits. This was effected by tracheotomy, but the 
animals rapidly recovered from the effects of the operation, 
and in a short time became affected with a cough of a very 
violent and noisy character; in fact, a genuine whooping- 
cough. The rabbits thus affected were killed, and their 
air-passages and lungs found to contain an enormous quantity 
of the same fungus as that met with in the sputa from human 
whooping-cough ; and, in fact, the mucus expectorated by the 
rabbits showed precisely the same appearance, Dr. Letzerich 
had already published very similar observations on a supposed 
fungus causing diphtheria; but neither set of observations 
seems, as yet, to have been confirmed by any other inyesti- 
gator. 
