720 Tuberculosis 



Isolation. Piatkowski* has suggested that the cultiva- 

 tion of the tubercle bacillus and other " acid-proof " organ- 

 isms may be achieved by taking advantage of their ability to 

 resist the action of formaldehyd. The material containing 

 the acid-proof organism is mixed thoroughly with 10 c.c. of 

 water or bouillon, which receives an addition of 2 or 3 

 drops of 40 per cent, formaldehyd or " formalin." After 

 standing from fifteen to thirty minutes transfers are made to 

 appropriate culture-media, when the acid-proof organisms 

 may develop, the others having been destroyed by the for- 

 maldehyd. 



Still further improvement in the means by which the tuber- 

 cle bacilli can be secured free from contamination with other 

 organisms and from surrounding unnecessary and undesirable 

 materials, has accrued from the use of antiformin. This 

 commercial product, patented in 1909 by Axel Sjoo andTor- 

 nell, consists of Javelle water to which sodium hydrate is 

 added. To make it in the laboratory one first makes the 

 Javelle water as follows: 



K 2 CO 3 58 



CaO(OCl) 2 80 



Water, q. s. 1000 



and after dissolving the salts add an equal volume of 15 

 per cent, aqueous solution of caustic soda. 



Uhlenhuth andXylanderf investigated its usefulness and 

 recommend it highly for assisting in manipulating the tuber- 

 cle bacillus. The sputum or tissue supposed to contain these 

 organisms receives an addition of antiformin, by which the 

 tissue elements, the pus cells, the mucous and other objec- 

 tionable substances, and bacteria are quickly dissolved, leav- 

 ing the tubercle bacilli uninjured. It is then centrifugal- 

 ized, the fluid poured off and replaced by sterile water or 

 salt solution, and the bacilli washed, after which they 

 are again centrifugalized and caught at the bottom of the 

 tube. This sediment, rich in bacilli, may be immediately 

 transferred to appropriate culture-media, where the organ- 



* " Deutsche med. Wochenschrift," June 9, 1904, No. 23, p. 878. 

 f "Arbeiten a. d. Kaiserlichen Gesundheilsamt," 1909, xxxi, 158; 

 "Centralbl. f. Bakt. u. Parasitenk.," Referata, 1910, xi,v, 686. 



