DISEASES OF THE OX AN'D SHEEP. 353 



the pointed end of the capillary pipette was pushed through 

 the remainder of the plug until it came opposite and near the 

 surface of the gelatine. Then a drop of the blood — but not the 

 whole of the blood present in the pipette, lest germs possibly 

 present in the breath should also be blown on to the gelatine — 

 was blown on to the gelatine and spread out on its surface by 

 means of the pipette. Then this latter was withdrawn, the plug 

 pushed back to its former position, and the test-tube again placed 

 upright. In the same way other similar test-tubes were inocu- 

 lated with the same pipette. 



In other cases only one test-tube was thus inoculated from 

 the capillary pipette, the other test-tubes being inoculated by 

 means of the platinum-wire, according to the method of Koch. 

 This is as follows : — The test-tube which has received the blood 

 on to the surface of its gelatine — ** the stock test-tube " — and 

 another test-tube which is to receive the blood are inverted, the 

 cotton-wool plugs are withdrawn with sterile forceps from both, 

 and with the end of a sterile platinum wire, previously heated 

 and allowed to cool, a droplet of blood is transferred from the 

 first tube into the second, and spread over the surface of the 

 gelatine in this latter, the cotton-wool plug is put into the gas 

 flame and held there for a few seconds, and then replaced into 

 the mouth of the test-tube. Then a second, third, fourth, &c., 

 test-tube is inoculated from the stock test-tube in the same 

 manner. 



In the case of a post-mortem of an acute case of scarlatina, the 

 pericardial cavity is opened with clean scissors. Immediately 

 afterwards the pointed end of a freshly drawn-out capillary glass 

 pipette is pushed through the wall of the right ventricle or right 

 auricle, and blood is drawn up into the pipette. The mode of 

 inoculation of test-tubes from this is the same as before. The 

 same method of taking the blood by means of the capillary 

 pipette from the cavity of the heart direct is used in the case of 

 animals which had died in consequence of the disease, or had 

 been killed while the disease was running its course. In all 

 these experiments six, eight, twelve, or even more, tubes con- 

 taining sterile nutritive gelatine with slanting large surface were 

 inoculated. It was remarked that when from a particular case 

 of scarlatina a positive result was obtained, there were always 

 only a very few of the culture-tubes in which any growth 



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