D1PLOCOCCUS GONORRHCE^ 551 



recently, Hermanies 13 studied 85 gonococcus strains from various 

 sources, using for cultivation the partial tension method of Wade W. 

 Oliver. He concluded that gonococci fall into distinct types, with little 

 relationships to each other. Agglutinins produced by one type cannot 

 be absorbed by strains of other types, and his 85 strains fell into six 

 distinct groups. At the time of the present writing, Torrey is again 

 working on the same subject, since the conflicting evidence of these 

 researches and earlier work shows clearly that the subject cannot be 

 regarded as closed. The work Torrey is doing with Buckell is not yet 

 completed, and it would, therefore, be rash to make a final statement 

 concerning his opinion, but, since he has devoted a considerable amount 

 of time and energy to this subject, and since his bacteriological judgment 

 is unusually sound, we quote as follows from advanced information 

 he has courteously furnished us in a personal communication. Tor- 

 rey's impressions at the present time are that it is not possible to demon- 

 strate definite groups, such as the three fixed pneumococcus types, or 

 even groupings, comparable to that established for the meningococcus 

 and discussed in another section. A study of 50 strains from many 

 sources and from different parts of the world by agglutination and 

 agglutinin absorption, has shown that there are certain generalized 

 strains which possess antigenic properties common to a considerable 

 part of the " whole" species. On the other hand, there are a large 

 number of variants among recently isolated strains which show no 

 serological relationship to one another as far as specific agglutination is 

 concerned, and which quite often show some specific relationship to 

 one or more of the specific strains. These - variants overlap and show 

 such intergradations that it is not possible to subdivide them into 

 definite groups. It has also been noticeable in his work that some of the 

 original strains which he studied as long as fourteen years ago, and which 

 at that time seemed to be unrelated to each other, are now beginning 

 to show some specific relationships. All the older strains show greater 

 relationships than do similar groups of recently isolated ones. Torrey 

 has not been able to confirm the contentions of Louise Pearpe that there 

 is a recognizable distinction between vulvovaginitis strains from chil- 

 dren and those from adult males. 



Recognition of the Gonococcus. Speaking of sugar fermentations, 

 Torrey has come to the conclusion that, taken together with typical 

 colony formation, morphology, staining reactions and absence* of growth 

 on ordinary laboratory media, sugar fermentations form Ihe most 



, Jour. In foe. Dis., 28, 192], 1 :'.:'.. 



