402 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Nov 



BACTERIOLOGY. 



A Bacterial Disease of the Squash-bug. — Some squash- 

 bug-skept forexperimental purposes were found to bedying' 

 in considerable numbers, in an apparently healthful en- 

 vironment. The disease was readil}" passed on to other 

 bug-s. The distressed insects became slug-g-ish, and very 

 weak, and finally died, the body becoming- a mass of g-ruel 

 like fluid. Cultures were made from dead insects upon 

 various nutrient media, ag-ar-ag"ar, bouillon, g-elutin, milk, 

 etc., g-iving- colonies of a bacillus. Inoculation of this bac- 

 illus produced the disease in health}^ bug-s. Infusions 

 of different cultures were found to have characteristic 

 toxic properties. Bug^s placed in these infusions died 

 with everv symptom of distress. Preparations of the 

 blood of diseased insects showed a short bacillus, single or 

 in pairs. The tissues of the insects break down under the 

 g-rowth of these org-anisms, which probably enter insects 

 throug-h the spiracles. — B. M. Duggar before the Botanical 

 Society of America at Btiffalo. 



Professor Chantemesse boug^ht at the Paris markets 

 French, Eng-lish, Belgian and Portuguese oysters and 

 found in them the presence of numerous germs, and 

 especiall}^ that of the coli bacillus. 



A recently published report of investigations of the 

 effects of tobacco during the epidemic of cholera at Ham- 

 burg" states that there were no live microbes after twenty- 

 four hours in the cigars made up with water containing- 

 1,500,000 cholera microbes to the cubic centimeter, 



A new laboratory of bacteriology has been established 

 at the University of Pennsylvania to study all diseases 

 connected with poultry and cattle. Dr. M. P. Ravenel has 

 been made director and bacteriolog-ist. 



Angers, France, has a bacteriological laboratory with an 

 annual appropriation of about 2500 francs. 



