28 TIIK AMERICAN MONTHLY [Jammrv, 



which lie had said would produce a contajjious disease anion*:^ 

 the field mice as fatal as typhoid. Some cultures were prepared 

 at the Hactei iolojjical Institute in Athens. These were placed in 

 water, and pieces of" bread soaked therein. In order to convince 

 the peasants that the hacilli wouUl not harm other animals than 

 the mice, an exhibit was made by f'eedin«; the hreail to all kinds 

 of" tJomestic animals. l"2ven the experimenters tasted the bread. 

 The imprej;nated bread was then scattered in all directions. At 

 the end of' a month a jjjreat number of mice had succumbetl. They 

 were tnumd in the fields with the crania open or the entrails 

 gnawed. One of the effects of the disease is to cause the mice to 

 come t)ut of their holes. The well mice devoured parts of the 

 cailavers, so that the infection once introduced propai^ated itself 

 rapidly. This method of tiestruction has etjually succeeded with 

 house mice, althouj^h these belong, as is well known, to another 

 species of rodents. 



Whooping-Cough. — It is believed by Ritter that the bacillus 

 i///>/<Hiu<//s is the cause of this disease. He has isolated and 

 developed the germs in agar-agar, the temperature recpiired being 

 about 37^ F. The bacilli are very small indeed. Thcv can be 

 obtained from the expectorations of patients sutVering from the 

 cough. 



Another Microbe. — Acosta and (ir.uul Rossi havel>eeii study- 

 ing the bank bills of Havana and the microbes depoNited tiiereon. 

 Tliev fountl that the weight of the bills actually increased tluring 

 their circulation because of the sweat, grease, and dirt deposited 

 upon them. In these deposits thrive the microbes. In two cases 

 the number of microbes exceeded 19.000 upon the surface ob- 

 served. Among these microbes there was one bacillus which 

 appeared special and which has been named Bacillus lu'llct-dc- 

 hanquus. It is septic. Inoculated in rabbits and guinea-pigs, it 

 caused them to die rapidly. There were also found the bacilli of 

 tuberculosis, of diphtheria, and the streptococcus of erysipelas, 

 as well as several other pathogenic forms. 



MKIM( AI. Ml( UOS(OI'V. 



Diagnosis of Tumors of the Bladder by Microscopical 

 Examination. — Ferguson recently presented at a meeting of the 

 New York PathoU)gical .Society a series of specimens illustrating 

 the difVerent varieties of tumors of the bhuUier, their situation and 

 general characteristics, and dwelt particularlv upon the impf>rtant 

 aid in diagrrosis rendered by microscopical examinations. Exclu- 

 sive of the cystoscope. he believed that the best method of making 

 a diagnosis of tumors of the bladder was by continuous microscopi- 

 cal examination of the urine. This method of diagnosis is of 



