THE BIO LOOT OF MICROBES, ETC. 149 



Proteins vulgaris, and forms granular colonies of a 

 brownish colour. It also forms zoogloea. 



Protem Zenkeri. This motile bacterium is 1'65 //, 

 in length and 0*4 /j, in breadth. In plate-cultiva- 

 tions it gives rise to greyish colonies, but no zooglcea 

 are formed. There is only a very slight liquefaction 

 of the gelatine, and no odour is given off from 

 cultures on gelatine or blood serum ; but there is a 

 strong smell given off when the microbe is cultivated 

 in bouillon. 



BACILLI. 



Bacillus beribericm. This microbe was discovered 

 by De Lacerda 1 in the blood of patients suffering 

 from the disease known as beri-beri, kakke, etc. 

 It occurs singly in long chains and produces spores. 

 When cultivated in bouillon and then injected into 

 rabbits this microbe is said to produce all the 

 symptoms of beri-beri. The disease is characterised 

 by anaemia, anasarca, degeneration of the muscular 

 tissues, numbness, pain and paralysis of the extremi- 

 ties ; and one of its chief habitats is in Japan. It 

 is prevalent in the Malay Archipelago, the Molucca 

 Islands, New Guinea, Burmah, Siam, Ceylon, and 

 India (south and east) ; and it is endemic as well 

 as epidemic in other parts of the world. 



According to Prof. B. H. Chamberlain, 2 'kakke 

 [i.e. beri-beri] is the national scourge of Japan, 

 and attacks with special frequency and virulence 



1 Lancet, February 9, 1884, p. 268. 



2 Things Japanese, 1890, p. 188 (Kegan Paul, Trench, & Co.). 



