168 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [May 



cleansing- took place, anil j)revi()Us sewag^e contamination 

 was thus entirely g-ot rid of. This result forms the hig-h- 

 est possible arg-ument in favor of the absolute purity of the 

 surroundings of oysters during- their cultivation or after 

 being laid down in special beds for fattening purposes. 



With regard to the g-erms of typhoid fever in sea water 

 or in the tissues of the oyster, it was shown that they are 

 viable for fourteen days in sea water at 35 deg-rees centi- 

 g"rade, while in cold sea water they may live for t went}' -one 

 days; and when larg-e quantities of the microbes are added 

 to the water, their presence may be demonstrated for a 

 longer period than when small quantities are employed. 

 It thus seems that the bacilli do not actually breed or mul- 

 tiply in the sea water at all. Infection from this source, 

 therefore, is from germs that have entered the water, and 

 not from their decendants and progeny. It was also dem- 

 onstrated that the typhoid microbe does not increase either 

 in the body or in the tissues of the oyster. Where oysters 

 are infected with typhoid g-erms and placed in a stream of 

 pure sea water, the bacilli disappear in from one to seven 

 days. The oyster evidently utilizes its pure environment 

 to g-et rid of its unwelcome and uninvited germ guests. 



Distinctions Between Human and Animal Blood.— 

 On mixing- the blood in question with a little bile, there are 

 formed crystals not exceeding- 0.003 meter in size. Those 

 of a man are rig-ht rectangular prisms; those of the horse, 

 cubes; of the ox, rhombohedrons; of the sheep, rhombohe- 

 dric tablets; of the dog, rectangular prisms; of the rabbit, 

 tetrahedrons; of the squirrel, hexag-onal tablets; of the 

 mouse, octahedrons; of common poultry, cubes mod ilied at 

 their angles, etc. — Scientific American. 



MICKO.SCOrUAL NOTES. 



The Night Lunch Wagon. — Mr. John F. Hurley, pres- 

 ident of the water l)oard, of Salem, Mass., who has been 

 indefatigable in promoting a g-ood water supply, has now 



