1890.] Present*. 101 



curious appearance. They were surrounded by a transparent sheath, 

 which was thickened at each junction between each two neighbouring 

 bacilli. The chain of bacilli could be compared to a bamboo in which 

 the nodes are swollen to nearly twice the diameter of the rest of the 

 stick. A precisely similar appearance has been described and figured 

 by Petruschky.* He found that anthrax bacilli undergo this change, 

 which he regards as degenerative, when placed under the skin of 

 frogs for several hours. Gamaleiaf describes a somewhat similar 

 condition as occasionally happening to anthrax vaccins in different 

 organs of sheep and rabbits during the " vaccinal fever." 



The above-described experiments would seem to lead to the follow- 

 ing conclusions : 



1. That Halliburton's cell globulin-y3 possesses a bacteria-killing 



power. 



2. That this power appears to distinguish it from fibrin ferment. 



3. That this bacteria-killing power is of the same nature as that 



possessed by blood serum, as described by Buchner, Nissen, 

 and Nuttall. 



4. That this power of the serum is probably due to the same or 



some allied substance. 



5. That, inasmuch as it is possible to obtain from cells that are, or 



can become, phagocytes a substance having bacteria-killing 

 powers, we may suppose that phagocytes can not only kill 

 microbes that they have ingested, but also do this, or tend to 

 do this, by breaking down and liberating their contents. 



The Society adjourned over the Whitsuntide Recess to Thursday, 

 June 5th. 



Presents, May 22, 1890. 

 Transactions. 



Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University. Studies (Historical and 



Political Science). Eighth Series. No. 4, 8vo. Baltimore 



1890. The University. 



Bordeaux : Societe de Mdecine et de Chirnrgie. Memoires et 



Bulletins. 1889. Fasc. 1-2. 8vo. Bordeaux. 



The Society. 



Societe des Sciences Physiques et Naturelles. Memoires 

 Ser. 3. Tome IV. Tome V. Cahier 1. 8vo. Bordeaux 



* " Die Einwirlcungen des lebenden Froschkdrpers auf den MilzbrandbaoiUus," 

 Zeitschrift fur Hygiene,' TO!. 7, 1889, p. 75. . v'i 



t Loc. ctt. 



