104 



With re-sterilized forceps and scissors (lie spleen, 

 kidneys, liver, etc., should be removed to sterilized Petri 

 or Esmarch dishes and can be used for subsequent exam- 

 ination. 



In making post-mortem examinations the utmost care 

 must be taken to prevent the introduction of foreign 

 microorganisms, and at the same time to prevent- scatter- 

 ing any infectious matter, from the animal. For that 

 reason the hair on the skin is thoroughly moistened to 

 prevent it from flying about or entering the opening in the 

 body. The forceps, knives and scissors must be sterilized 

 in a flame for each separate incision. When blood or 

 pieces of tissue adhere to the instruments, they should not 

 be placed at once into the flame, otherwise the sudden 

 heating will cause the material to spurt and scatter about. 

 To avoid this the material should first be dried by holding 

 I he instruments close to the flame. This precaution should 

 also be observed when sterilizing wires which are covered 

 with gelatin. 



LABORATORY WORK, WITH ASTHKAX TISSUE. 



Isolation of the bacillus in pure culture. The bacil- 

 lus of anthrax which is present in the blood, tissues and 

 organs of the guinea pig, must be isolated and obtained in 

 pure culture. This can be readily accomplished by the 

 gelatin plate method. For this purpose a small piece of 

 liver, about half the size of a grain of wheat, is cut off with 

 a sterilized pair of scissors. The piece of tissue is placed 

 on the loop of a sterilized platinum wire and transferred 

 to a tube of liquefied gelatin. By rubbing the piece 

 against the walls of the tube with the wire the blood can 

 be squezed out and the oigani-m piesent is thus spread 

 throughout the gelatin. From this tube, which is No. 1, 

 transfers are made in the usual manner to tube No. 2, and 

 from this to tube No. 3. Gelatin plates are then made in 

 the usual manner, and set aside for two or three days to 

 develop. 



