BACILLUS OF RHINOSCLEROMA 267 



Dittrich, Cornil, Alvarez and several other investigators 

 have made researches concerning this micro-organism. 



The best solution to use for staining sections of 

 the rhinoscleroma tumours when it is desired to examine 

 them for the presence of the bacilli, is the methyl blue or 

 methyl violet solution of Loftier. The sections remain one 

 or two days in the stain, are then washed in water con- 

 taining iodine, and finally decolorised for a rather long time 

 (two or three days) in absolute alcohol. The bacilli do 

 not lose their colour under Gram's process. If they be 

 stained with gentian violet in aniline water, washed in 

 water containing acetic acid, and double-stained with 

 carbolic fuchsine, the capsules round the bacilli appear 

 coloured; safranine may be used with advantage for 

 double- staining instead of the carbolic fuchsine. 



Gelatine is not liquefied. Roundish colonies appear on 

 the gelatine plate, and thrust-cultures take the nail form, 

 but do not attain any very extensive development. Upon 

 agar a widespread milk-white coating appears even in half 

 a day, on potato there likewise forms a creamy mass which 

 gradually spreads out from the site of inoculation, and on 

 blood-serum also a white coat develops. In all these methods 

 of cultivation the capsule is retained even in the later stages 

 of development, but it is lost in bouillon cultures. Inocula- 

 tions do not produce rhinoscleroma, even when the injections 

 are made into the nasal mucous membrane, but according to 

 Stepanow tumours of granulation- tissue develop when one 

 is made into the eye of a guinea-pig, and these tumours are 

 rich in bacilli. Injections into the pleura of these animals 

 resulted in death. 



The bacillus of rhinoscleroma seems to be at least closely 

 akin to Friedlander's PneumobaciUus, but is less virulent. 

 The points of difference with reference to their morphology 

 which might be cited would perhaps be the greater trans- 



