4 QUATERCENTENARY STUDIES IN PATHOLOGY 



Bacillus of Braxy. 



In the case of the bouillon tubes inoculated with the peritoneal liquid 

 obtained from a sheep which had died from this disease, the medium was 

 found to be muddy-looking after 12 hours, and a copious evolution of 

 gas was evidenced by the collection of gas-bells between the oil and the 

 bouillon. After 24 hours' incubation the growth was being deposited as 

 small floccules on the bottom and sides of the tube. At the end of 36 

 hours a fairly large greyish-white deposit was found at the bottom of the 

 tube, the supernatant fluid being clear, and now giving a marked acid 

 reaction to litmus. 



The microscopical examination of the deposit revealed the presence 

 in pure culture of a bacillus possessing the following morphological 

 characters. In the fresh condition, the bacillus was a fairly long, thin, 

 delicate straight rod, with rounded ends, and averaging 4*4^1 by I'O jul. 

 The bacilli from the bouillon deposit were usually found to be in clumps. 

 Within the peritoneal liquid, and usually in the first culture of it, the 

 organism was only very feebly motile, if motile at all. A few sporing 

 forms were occasionally found in this deposit ; spore formation was best 

 obtained by incubating the original peritoneal liquid or growing the 

 bacillus on sheep's blood. The spore, which was single, was situated 

 at the middle or extreme end of the rod, was of a brownish colour, 

 produced a small swelling, and gave the rod a lanceolate or drumstick 

 appearance. 



The bacillus reacted to all the ordinary bacillary stains, but was negative 

 to Gram's process. The presence of cilia was demonstrable upon culture 

 by the methods of staining introduced by Lcefifler and van Ermengem. 

 The cilia were extremely delicate, and special care had to be taken 

 to avoid their detachment from the body of the bacillus. The method 

 employed was to remove a small portion of a twelve hours' old agar 

 surface culture grown under hydrogen, and add it to a drop of sterile 

 distilled water on a perfectly clean coverglass. This was then allowed to 

 evaporate in the air, and was fixed, when dry, by passing it once through 

 the flame. A few drops of van Ermengem's mordant were poured on the 

 film and allowed to act for 30 minutes. After gentle lavage in distilled 

 water, the film was placed in a 2 ^ solution of silver nitrate for a few 

 seconds, and afterwards transferred direct to the sodium acetate solution, 



(404) 



