ACTION OF LIGHT ON MICRO-ORGANISMS 365 



inoculated with ordinary anthrax or with ' asporogene ' 

 anthrax. 1 Therefore the bacilli of anthrax are capable of 

 resisting far higher temperatures in the dry than in the 

 moist condition. 



SPOKELESS ANTHRAX (Asporogene}. Desiccation Experi- 

 ments with Broth Cultures in Diffused Light and 

 in Darkness respectively 



Instead of anthrax blood, drops of bouillon con- 

 taining artificially prepared ' asporogene ' anthrax were 

 employed. 



In dried anthrax bouillon in contact with air, and 

 kept at from 16-22 C. in diffused daylight, the bacilli 

 preserved their vitality for twenty-one days. 



In vacua under otherwise similar conditions, for 

 seventeen days. 



Dried anthrax bouillon cultures of bacilli in contact 

 with air, and preserved in the dark at 33 C., preserved 

 their vitality for ten days. 



In vacuo under similar conditions, for twelve days. 



Thus anthrax bacilli preserve their vitality far 

 longer in dried blood than in dried bouillon. No ex- 

 periments were made with dried bouillon cultures in the 

 dark at 16 to 22 C. 



The same difference was observed when dried 

 bouillon cultures we're submitted to high temperatures. 

 Thus thirty minutes' exposure in dried bouillon to 86 C., 

 forty minutes to 80 C., and fifty minutes to 75 C. suf- 

 ficed to kill the bacilli, whereas in dried blood they only 

 succumbed after ninety minutes' exposure to 92 C. 



It is to be regretted that Momont has not recorded 



1 Chamberland an$ Roux made the interesting discovery that anthrax 

 bacilli were unable to produce spores in bouillon to which a small amount 

 of phenol had been added. Such sporeless bacilli (or asporogene an- 

 thrax) are quite as virulent as the ordinary anthrax bacilli. 



