104 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [March 



meal consisting" of 1)read and a portion of a tuberculous 

 lung-. During- the three days following-, portions of fecal 

 matter were collected and investig-ated, both by the injec- 

 tion of animals and microscopical examination. Bacilli 

 were constantly found in the feces, and out of fifteen rab- 

 bits inoculated, twelve became tuberculous, showing- that 

 the fecal matters of tuberculous cattle are as infectious in 

 character as the sputum of persons suffering- from this 

 disease. 



Rapid Isolation of Bacillus Coli Communis. — Abbag-ives 

 a new method for "rapid and certain isolation of bacillus 

 coli communis from water." He prepares the following- 

 culture medium: Lactose, 20 g-.; dry peptone, 100 g-.; sod- 

 ium chloride, 50 g-., and water, 1 liter. This may be solidi- 

 fied by the addition of g-elatin. Into a liter of suspected 

 water is placed 100 c. cm. of the previously sterilized cul- 

 ture medium; to this is added 0.5 c.cm, of a one per cent 

 alcoholic solution of phenol-phthalim, and afterward a.cold 

 saturated solution of sodium carbonate (usually 2 to 3 c. 

 cm. suffice) until the 'water becomes of -a permanently 

 pink color. This water is placed in five or six Erlen- 

 meyer's flasks, and incubated at 37 per cent C. At the 

 same time an ag-ar plate is poured, and is placed in the in- 

 cubator along- with the Erlenmeyer's flasks. If bacillus coli 

 were present in the water, after twelve, sixteen, or twenty- 

 four hours one or several or all of the flasks will then com- 

 plete decolorization of the contents. The ag-ar plate is 

 inoculated from the surface of one of the colorless fluids; 

 this is ag-ain incubated, and in from eig-ht to twelve hours 

 or less a number of colonies will be visible on the surface 

 of the ag-ar. These colonies are examined under the mic- 

 roscope, and cultures made from the ones which most re- 

 semble those of the bacillus coli. Under these conditions 

 the bacillus coli rapidly g-ains the upper hand over most of 

 the other micro-org-anisms present in the water. The 

 colonies on the ag-ar plates are usually composed of bacil- 

 lus coli alone, and the first examination leads to their de- 

 tection, if present. 



