212 BACTERIOLOGY OF THE EYE 



Vossius, Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiete der Augenheilk. Marhold, Halle, 1896. 



Ferner Deutsche Praxis, 1901, Bd. 3, Heft 22. 

 WAGNER, Ein Beitrag zur Frage der Heilserumtherapie bei der Conjunctivitis 



diphtherica. Inaug. Diss., Giessen, 1898. 

 ZUR NEDDEN, Uber krupose und diphtheritische Bindehautentziindungen. K. M. f. A., 



1902, XLII, Bd. 1, S. 439. 



SECTION 5. GONOCOCCI AND OTHEE GEAM-NEGATIVE 

 DIPLOCOCCI (MENINGOCOCCI, MICEOCOCCUS CATAEEHALIS) 



FOUND UPON THE CONJUNCTIVA. 

 BLENNOEEHCEA AND OPHTHALMIA NEONATOEUM. 



(PLATE II., FIGS. I. AND II.) 



The Gonococcus (Neisser). 



Morphology and Culture. Bean or kidney-shaped Diplococci, each 

 pair 0'8 to 1'6 /* long, 0'6 to 0*8 p broad, rapidly decolorizing with 

 Gram, found preferably in the cells. Tetrads occur in cultures, 

 especially when old. 



Culture. Grows at 25 C. to 89 C. (optimum, 36 C.), never under 

 20 C. (facultative anaerobe), and best on media which contain one-third 

 to one-half uncoagulated human serum (serum agar of Wertheim). 

 Ascites, hydrocele, ovarian cyst, and hydrothorax fluids are also suitable 

 for addition to the serum, though not always to the same extent. 

 Pfeiffer's blood agar can also be used (urine and glycerine media and 

 blood serum of animals also). The pig's serum nutrose agar recom- 

 mended by Wassermann gives varying results. 1 



The opinion used to be prevalent that the Gonococcus could not 

 grow at all on simple media. This is a very uncertain means of 

 differentiation from other forms. The latest experiments show that 

 it does not hold for all strains. According to the researches of 

 Wildbolz, Urbahn, and others, it is possible by continued culture to 

 adapt many strains of Gonococci to grow on ordinary media. It is 

 only very exceptionally that original cultures will grow on ordinary 

 media, and then only when pus, a human albuminous fluid, has been 

 freely transferred with the culture. The second transference from 

 here to another agar tube practically always fails. Rather better 

 results are obtained with the Thalmann medium, which is slightly 

 acid. (Two-thirds of the amount of soda necessary for neutralization 



1 Fifteen c.cm. pig's serum, free from haemoglobin, 30 to 35 c.cm. water, 2-3 c.cm. glycerine, 

 and 0-8 to 0'9 nutrose; shake and boil. Precipitation of the serum is prevented by the 

 addition of the nutrose. Take equal parts of this serum and 2 per cent, agar cooled down 

 to 50 C., mix, and pour into Petri dishes. 



