104 SUMMARY OF CUKKENT KESEARCHES RELATING TO 



and Stertz, who examined the faeces and urine, and of Fickers and 

 Hoffmanns, who experimented with the natural fasces and also with 

 faeces mixed with typhoid bacilli. 



The method therefore serves only as a useful confirmation in the 

 hands of an experienced laboratory worker. 



New Method for Differentiating Eberth's Bacillus from Pseudo- 

 typhoid and Colon Bacilli.* — Trapani says that in neutral glycerin 

 the growth of typhoid and other pathogenic organisms is inhibited, 

 whilst pseudo-typhoid and coli are uninfluenced. His method is as 

 follows : — Typhoid, pseudo-typhoid, and colon bacilli are emulsified in 

 distilled water and placed for one hour in the thermostat at 30° to 

 destroy the clumps. Neutral glycerin tubes are then inoculated and 

 incubated at room temperature, shaded from light, for 48 hours. The 

 two latter flourish prolifically, but the former grows either not at all or 

 very sparsely, owing to the clumps not having been perfectly destroyed. 



Technique of the Gruber-Widal Reaction.f — Ernst Schottelins 

 describes a simple and cheap means of obtaining blood for Widal's re- 

 action. The blood is absorbed from the puncture on to a densely rolled 

 gauze or sponge swab, which is fixed on to a glass or metal needle, which 

 in its turn is fastened to a cork or rubber stopper. This fits into a tube, 

 and prevents evaporation. The plasma is separated from the clot by 

 centrifugalising, and removed with a pipette. 



Glucose in Pneumococcus Cultures.} — R. Turro finds that the 

 presence of grape-sugar in liquid media is very conducive to the growth 

 of pneumococcus. It is also inhibitory to other organisms, and may be 

 used in quantities of 8-10 p.c. Pure cultures may be obtained directly 

 from sputum. 



Caffein Enrichment Method.§— C. Birt draws the following in- 

 ferences from his investigations on the action of cultivation media con- 

 taining caffein : — (1) * 5 p.c. caffein in 1 p.c. pepton water does not 

 always restrain the development of the B. coli communis ; (2) 0*5 p.c. 

 caffein in 1 p.c. pepton water inhibited the growth of 26 out of 81 

 races of B. typhi abdominalis examined ; (3) 0'5 p.c. caffein in 1 p.c. 

 pepton water completely arrested the development of IS varieties of 

 dysentery bacillus ; (4) caffeinated media are of service in isolating 

 streptococci and staphylococci ; (5) Negative results with caffeinated 

 media cannot be relied upon to exclude the presence of B. typhi abdo- 

 minalis in water or dejecta. 



Smith, Bert bam G. — Collection and Preparation of Material for Classes in 

 Elementary Zoology. 



[An excellent and practical article; very useful for a course of elementary 

 invertebrate zoology.] American Naturalist, xxxix. (1905) 



pp. 779-89 (1 fig.). 



• Gaz. Osped. Clin., 1905, No. 58. See also Centralbl. Bakt., lte Abt., xxxvii. 

 (1905) p. 268. 



t Miinch Med. Wochenschr., 1905, No. 15. See also Centralbl. Bakt., He Abt., 

 xxxvii. (1905) p. 268. 



♦ Journ. Physiol, et Pathol, gen., vi. (1904) pp. 718-19. 

 , § Brit. Med. Journ. (1905) ii. pp. 1110-11. 



