176 CLINICAL BACTERIOLOGY AND 



the tissue removed with due aseptic precautions. When the 

 milk is suspected of containing tubercle bacilli, some of it 

 should be stripped from the quarter and discarded. Brittle- 

 bank then advises pressing the udder thoroughly, and 

 collecting the milk in a sterile vessel. This should be 

 centrifugalized for fifteen minutes, the supernatant fluid 

 removed, and the sediment examined microscopical^.* 



Within recent years antiformin and other substances 

 have assisted investigators in the isolation of the bacilli in 

 pathological fluids. It is a disinfectant mixture of the 

 following composition : 



Solution I. Sodium carbonate 

 Chlorinated lime 

 Distilled water 

 Solution II. Sodium hydroxide 

 Distilled water 



12 grammes. 



8 „ 

 80 „ 



15 grammes. 

 85 „ 



Equal quantities of the two solutions are mixed together. 



The morbid material containing the bacteria is placed in 

 a centrifugal tube, and antiformin to about 20 per cent, of 

 its bulk is added. The whole solution is then well shaken, 

 plugged, and put in the dark for twenty-four hours, after 

 which it is centrifugalized and the supernatant fluid 

 pipetted off. Normal saline solution is then added and 

 the whole again centrifugalized, the top fluid pipetted off, 

 and a loopful of the remaining sediment is taken up for 

 the purpose of inoculating a serum tube slope. 



The antiformin is credited with the power of destroying 

 all non-acid-fast bacteria, dissolving out mucus, corpuscles, 

 fat cells, etc., while the tubercle bacilli are left with all 

 their vitality unaffected. The examination of the faeces or 

 the urine for the detection of the bacilli is by no means 

 satisfactory, and should not be relied upon. 



* The author has devised an instrument the object of which is to 

 aspirate the milk from the gland through the teat. In this way many 

 bacilli lodged on or in the mucosae are sucked up, thereby increasing 

 their number in a given sample of milk. 



