74 METHODS OF CULTIVATION OF BACTERIA 



either a sterile syringe attached, or to have the thick end of 

 the needle covered with a pad of sterile wool, which is of course 

 removed at once when the fluid begins to flow. It is advisable 

 to use the platinum needles which are specially made for the 

 purpose, as a sudden movement of the patient may snap an 

 ordinary steel needle. 



The Bacteriological Examination of Urine. In such an 

 examination care must be taken to prevent the contamination 

 of the urine by extraneous organisms. In the male, specimens 

 withdrawn by a sterile catheter into a sterile vessel are pre- 

 ferable, but it is often sufficient to wash thoroughly the glans 

 penis and the meatus with 1-1000 corrosive sublimate the 

 lips of the meatus being everted for more thorough cleansing ; 

 the urine is then passed into a series of sterile flasks, the first 

 of which is rejected in case contamination has occurred. In 

 the female, after similar precautions as regards external 

 cleansing, the catheter must be used. The latter must be 

 boiled for half an hour, and anointed with olive oil sterilised 

 by half an hour's exposure in a plugged flask to a temperature 

 of 120 C. Here, again, it is well to reject the urine first 

 passed. It is often advisable to allow the urine to stand in a 

 cool place for some hours, to then withdraw the lower portion 

 with a sterile pipette, to centrifugalise this, and to use the 

 urine in the lower parts of the centrifuge tubes for microscopic 

 examination or culture. 



Filtration of Cultures. For many purposes it is necessary 

 to filter all the organisms from fluids in which they may have 

 been growing. This is done especially in obtaining the soluble 

 toxic products of bacteria. The only filter capable of keeping 

 back such minute bodies as bacteria is that formed from a tube 

 of unglazed earthenware as introduced by Chamberland. The 

 efficiency of such a filter depends- on the fineness of the grain 

 of the clay from which it is made ; the finest is the Kitasato 

 filter and the Chamberland " B " pattern ; the next finest is 

 the Chamberland " F " pattern, which is quite good enough for 

 ordinary work. There are several filters, differing slightly in 

 detail, all possessing the common principle. Sometimes the 

 fluid is forced through the porcelain tube. In one form the 

 filter consists practically of an ordinary tap screwed into 

 the top of a porcelain tube. Through the latter the fluid is 

 forced, and passes into a chamber formed by a metal cylinder 

 which surrounds the porcelain tube. The fluid escapes by an 

 aperture at the bottom. Such a filter is very suitable for 

 domestic use, or for use in surgical operating-theatres. As 



