1899] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 267 



Two days later there were fourteen evacuations semi- 

 solid and one fluid; seven of the former were mixed with 

 half of the latter and used to inoculate another gelatine 

 tube. The other seven and a half were inoculated into an- 

 other gelatine tube which was then heated to fluidity and 

 poured out on four sterilized 3x1 slides, covered and kept 

 at room temperature. On the third day these were ex- 

 amined and only one furnished amongst other growths 

 the comma bacilli. The gelatine tube with the seven and 

 a half dejections had on the third day a whitish raised 

 warty-looking growth with no evidence of the track of 

 the needle. This contained crooked rods of all degrees 

 of curvatures even to a complete ring. 



An inoculation into meat infusion from the same agar- 

 agar culture when examined was found to abound with 

 similar organisms. This was transmitted through the 

 fly ; at first no curved rods could be found in the dejecta, 

 but later on they yielded a fair number of comma bacilli. 

 After seven days the fly was fed from the meat infusion 

 culture, and passed some of the crooked rods; these were 

 inoculated into a fresh meat infusion and in three days 

 gave an abundance of bacilli,. some in zo-ologoea masses, 

 others free and motile. 



The fly had now grown very weak, hence it was fed on 

 plain meat infusion, on sugar, on fruit jelly and other 

 things, and quickly regained strength. After having been 

 in captivity forty days, it was given its liberty as no rods 

 were longer found in the dejections. These experiments, 

 troublesome as they were, show I think conclusively that 

 the comma bacillus can be revived after passing through 

 the digestive organs of the blow-fly, but if the dejections 

 be dry, or the rods weakly or scanty, there is no great 

 chance of a revival by the contamination of food, yet if 

 fairly abundant, of strong growth and not too dried up, 

 they may be able to spread disease. — A. M. 8. 



