QUALITATIVE BACTERIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS. 221 



did not prove anything for or against the existence of this 

 bacillus in water, owing to the small amount of water with 

 which he worked. At the same time it is evident that his so- 

 called pseudo-typhoid bacilli would have been described bv 

 earlier observers as true typhoid organisms. Klein examined the 

 water-supply of Worthing, where an outbreak of enteric fever 

 had occurred. A sample was collected drop by drop during a 

 period of twelve hours from the rising main in the yard of the 

 Worthing waterworks ; 1500 c.c. of this water were passed 

 through a Berkefeld filter, and the residue on the bougie was 

 distributed among phenolated broth tubes and phenolated 

 gelatine plates. " In the tubes and plates B. coli developed 

 abundantly, and in addition a few other colonies were detected 

 two in one plate and one in another plate which on sub- 

 culture presented, morphologically as well as culturally, all the 

 characters of enteric fever bacilli." The following features 

 were given as characteristic of B. coli and B. typhosus : 



B. COLI. B. TYPHOSUS. 



Shorter and less motile than the Longer and more motile than K. 



enteric fever bacilli. coli. 



Forms gas bubbles in gelatine-shake Does not form gas bubbles in gela- 



culture. tine-shake culture. 



Curdles milk in one to two days at Does not curdle milk. 

 37 C. 



Forms indol in broth after several Gives no indol reaction, 

 days. 



The tests given under B. typhosus would be considered at the 

 present day as quite insufficient to establish the diagnosis of the 

 typhoid bacillus. Consequently the Worthing epidemic must 

 be relegated to the large class of cases in which there is still a 

 doubt as to the presence of B. typhosus in the water-supply. 



In 1897 Remlinger and Schneider examined thirty-seven 

 specimens of water obtained from wells and rivers both during 

 outbreaks of enteric fever and in the absence of all manifesta- 

 tions of this disease. Nine of the specimens contained a bacillus 

 presenting all the characters which they considered typical of 

 B. typhosus, viz., (1) aspect of cultures on gelatine ; (2) active 

 motility of the bacillus; (3) large number of flagella ; (4) 

 failure to stain by Gram's method ; (5) absence of gas forma- 



