432 THE AMERICAlSr MONTHLY [Dec. 



Bacteria in Noma. — X. has made bacteriolog-ical examina- 

 tions in two cases of noma (occurring- in two g-irls, respec- 

 tively three and fourteen years of ag-e ). The cultures and 

 preparations were made in both cases from the boundary 

 between the necrosed and healthy tissue. In both cases 

 cocci were found tog-ether with a bacillus which was poly, 

 morphous and resembled the diphtheria bacillus. The 

 cultures of this bacillus from the first case had no patho- 

 g-enic eifect upon animals. The author considers the ba- 

 cillus found by him to be different from the one described 

 by Shimmelbusch. 



These finding-s correspond to those obtained by Bishop 

 (Transactions Chicag-o Patholog-ical Society, vol. i, p. 252), 

 who reports cases of noma from which a bacillus was 

 isolated resembling- ver}' closely in its morpholog-y the 

 diphtheria bacillus, but with slig-ht pathog-enic effect upon 

 animals. — Medicine. 



Bacteriological Diagnosis of Epidemic Meningitis by 

 Lumbar Puncture. — W. Holdheim g-ives the results of the 

 bacteriolog-ical examination of fluid obtained by lumbar 

 puncture in four cases of epidemic mening-itis. In all the 

 cases the mening-ococcus intracellularis of Weichselbaum 

 was found in the fluid. The fluid obtained by puncture 

 was centrifugated, and from the sediment cover-g-lass 

 preparations were made in the usual way and stained ac- 

 cording- to Loeffler. In all the preparations numerous leu- 

 cocytes were found, in which were often seen three or four 

 pairs of cocci. The diplococci were very like g-onococci in 

 appearance, and lance-shaped diplococci were not found. 

 Pure cultures of the mening-ococcus were obtained upon 

 g-lycerin ag-ar-ag-ar in each case. 



The author holds that by this method a diag-nosis can be 

 easily made in epidemic meningitis by lumbar puncture, 

 and a differential diag-nosis during- life between it and tub- 

 ercular mening-itis. — Medicine. 



Bacteriology of the Hair. — Dr. L. Brocq says that when 

 the bacteriolog-y of the hair is taken up various microbes 

 are found in it. Six are, however, discovered quite con- 



