24:0 ' THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [September, 



and face, not diphtheritic. In none of these 130 cases was the bacillus 

 of Loeffler found, while in 53 cases of well-marked diphtheria the bacil- 

 lus was found in all. 



Tetanus. — Faber has endeavored to isolate the bacterium of tetanus, 

 but even when using the method of anaerobic growth, he only succeeded 

 in cultivating two distinct species of bacteria together ; one of these 

 must be the true tetanus bacterium, as an inoculation from these cultures 

 invariably produced tetanus. These two bacteria are found both in pus 

 from tetanic patients and in the earth. Of 23 specimens of earth ex- 

 amined, 16 contained these bacteria, which are only found near the sur- 

 face, not seeming to live more than a meter below the surface. A sample 

 taken from the soil of a forest contained no tetanic bacteria. B}^ culti- 

 vating a sample of earth for from 5 to 6 days, with a temperature of 

 98.6° in fluid serum and in vacuum, Faber obtained an exceedingly 

 virulent culture. By filtering this through a Chamberland filter he ob- 

 tained a clear, yellow liquor, containing no bacteria, but capable of pro- 

 ducing tetanus by injection under the skin or into the veins of animals 

 (rabbits, mice, etc.). It is curious to note that there was a time of in- 

 cubation after the injection, varying from a few hours to several days. 

 When the period of incubation was very long the animals ordinarily 

 recovered. Faber does not think the jDoisonous principle the same as 

 Brieger's tetanin. He has collected 64 cases of tetanus caused by 

 wounds and treated in the hospitals of Copenhagen. In 26 of these an 

 infection with earth was either proved or thought probable. — The Satel- 

 lite^ May, 1890. 



o 



Disinfection by Burning Sulphur. — The proposal to discard the 

 fumes of burning sulphur as a disinfecting agent meets with a vigorous 

 remonstrance from Dr. Henry B. Baker, Secretary of the Michigan 

 State Board of Health. 



It seems that the health officer of Detroit had decided to discard this 

 method of disinfection. In a circular addressed to him, dated August 

 7, 1890, Dr. Baker insists that the method should not be cast aside on 

 account of a few laboratory experiments of apparently adverse signifi- 

 cance, in face of the success that has attended the method in actual prac- 

 tice throughout the rest of the State. 



By several tables and diagrams he shows how efficient isolation and 

 disinfection have been in controlling outbreaks of diphtheria in Mich- 

 igan during the past two years. He thinks that failures to disinfect 

 with sulphur are due to using too little sulphur. 



The burning of three pounds of sulphur to the thousand feet of air- 

 space is suflficient to destroy the germs of contagious disease in a closed 

 room, without extra moisture in the air. 



In support of his position he quotes the results obtained by recent 

 French experimenters in this field. 



Certainly Dr. Baker's estimate of the value of sulphur fumigation cor- 

 responds with our own, based upon clinical observation. 



EDITORIAL. 



Unmanly Criticisms. — It happens to be the opportunity just now 

 to say that if there appears in this Journal any paper to which our 



