298 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Sept 



parts of starch, a little at a time, with constant stirring-, 

 until the starch is converted. Then add 5 to 10 parts of 

 oil of turpentine, and stir in. This g^lue should be warmed 

 up till lurlxwarm before usinfr. Finally, a very powerful 

 cement is made as follows: 



Cover 100 parts of g-elatin with C(^ld water, and let 

 stand until the j^-elatin has absorlied as much of the water 

 as it will take up. Pour off the residual water and g-et rid 

 of the last traces of surplus by throwing the g^elatin on 

 coarse cloth. Melt in the water-bath as before and to the 

 liquid add 150 parts of alcohol, 500 parts of water, 50 parts 

 of glycerin and 20 parts of carbolic acid. 



BACTERIOLOGY. 



Bacillus Coli communis. — It has been known for many 

 years that certain micro-organisms found in animal dejecta 

 decomposed alkaline nitrates with formation of oxygen, 

 which is utilized by the bacteria, free nitrogen, and libera- 

 tion of the base. One of these organisms is the Bacillus 

 Coli communis, and Ilugounec & Doyon have recently pre- 

 sented a memoir on this subject at a meeting of the Paris 

 Society of Biology. They find that by reversing- a tube 

 of a sterilized solution of potassium nitrate in peptone, 

 sown with Bacillus Coli over a tube of mercury, that after 

 some hours several cubic centimeters of nitrogen are lib- 

 erated by the denitrifying- action of the bacillus. The 

 nitrate solution was found to be most strong-ly acted ui)on 

 when containing about 1.5 per cent. On testing- with 

 Eberth's bacillus similar results were obtained. 



Smegma Bacillus. — Grethe (Fortschr. der Med., May, 

 18'K)) points out the need of some simple method of dilTer- 

 erentiating the smeg-ma bacillus from the tubei^cle. The 

 inability to distinguish between these two germs has led 

 to serious results in a number of instances; in one case a 

 supposed tubercular kidney was removed, l)Ut u])on sul)- 

 sequent examination it was found that there was present 

 only calculous pyelitis. In this case supposed tubercle 

 bacilli were found in the urine. A number of other cases 



