88 



latter case 34o/ of Pfeiffcr's bacilli was found. The colonies 

 usually occurred in considerably greater numbers on the plates 

 than was the case in the cultures of the 24. IX., and in 

 spite of the fact that on 17. IX. the technique was not so 

 perfect, partly because the inoculated swabs had to be trans- 

 ported before cultivation, and partly because only dark red 

 (i. e. slightly heated) blood-agar was used in the cultures, while 

 on 24. IX. the same medium was employed and in addition 

 another containing dissolved haemoglobin which in comparison 

 with the blood-agar, proved superior. The comparatively poor 

 findings of Pfeiffer's bacilli on the 24. IX. cannot therefore be 

 accounted for as the result of defective technique. 



It must however be admitted that the technique employed 

 in the examinations on 3 and 4. IX. 1918, and 5. III. 1919 was 

 not so good as in the later inoculations. In the first case it 

 was due to want of practice in detecting Pfeiffer's bacillus in 

 the primary cultures from healthy persons (the colonies are 

 not always so characteristic as in influenza); in the second 

 case the plates remained so long without subculturing that a 

 number of cultures which were presumably Pfeiffer's bacilli died 

 out before they could be verified by a complete cultural exami- 

 nation. The percentages in these two series ought therefore to 

 be increased by some unknown amount. But this correction 

 would only further strengthen the connection between influenza 

 and the distribution of Pfeiffer's bacillus in healthy persons. 



b. Other healthy persons. 



On 14. I. 1919 cultivations were made from 22 soldiers 

 sleeping in the same room 1 , and who had all been on duty at 

 least 3 months. 17 of them stated they had had influenza, 

 in most cases about 3 months previously. Pfeiffer's bacillus 

 was found in all of them for the most part in considerable num- 

 bers. In 19, typical Pfeiffer's bacilli were present (in some aty- 

 pical as well), and in the remaining 3, only atypical. 



On 24. I. and 25. I. 1919, cultivations were made from 

 133 marines who, with a few exceptions had been on duty at 

 least 3 months, — the majority of them for 5 — 6 months. In 

 63 (48o/o) Pfeiffer's bacilli were found, 49 typical and 14 atypical. 



In consequence of some meningitis cases having arisen in 

 a military camp (Jsegersborg), inoculations were made in July 



