FEBRUARY 9, 1912] 
Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus and B. fluorescens 
were very quickly affected. Bacillus putrificus 
(Bienstock) and B. edematis maligni were unable 
to develop and bring about any putrefactive 
changes whatever in the white of egg, while the 
yolk and the coagulated egg-meat medium rapidly 
underwent putrefaction. 
Heating at 65-70° C. for 15 minutes destroys 
the antiseptic and bactericidal properties of egg- 
white. 
The Effect of Certain Antiseptics upon Staphylo- 
coccus pyogenes var. aureus: T. D. BECKWITH, 
T. D. BRANDENBERG, J. DINWIDDIE and C. H. 
HOFSTRAND. 
In order to learn the efficiency of certain anti- 
septics commonly used in veterinary practise the 
following work was carried out under test-tube 
conditions. 
The antiseptic was added to distilled water with 
the proper dilution and a loopful of a twenty-four 
hour culture in broth of Staphylococcus pyogenes 
var. aureus isolated about one week previously 
from a case of empyema was then mixed with the 
antiseptic solution. Plates were poured, using 
standard beef agar after intervals of one, five 
and twenty minutes, all results being obtained in 
duplicate. The following seventeen compounds 
and preparations were used: alcohol, pyoktanin 
blue, pyoktanin yellow, Lugol’s solution, potas- 
sium permanganate, cresol, liq. cresolis comp., 
boric acid, lysol, formaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, 
silver nitrate, mercuric chloride, phenol, ‘‘ Bene- 
tol,’’ ‘‘Creolin,’’ ‘‘Septico,’’ the last three being 
preparations on the market. 
Following appeared to be the order of efficiency, 
beginning with the most active: silver nitrate, 
mercuric chloride, Lugol’s solution, pyoktanin 
blue, potassium permanganate, pyoktanin yellow, 
Lig. cresolis comp., cresol, ‘‘ Benetol,’’ ‘‘Creolin,’’ 
formaldehyde, lysol, ‘‘Septico,’’? hydrogen perox- 
ide, phenol, borie acid, alcohol. 
Check tubes and counts were made at frequent 
intervals. 
Aggressin Immunization Against Symptomatic 
Anthrax: Orro W. ScHOBL. 
Briefly, the results of the experiments are as 
follows: 
1. The existence of aggressin in black leg edema 
has been proved, since the sterile edema fluid aids 
infection by hindering the natural protective appa- 
ratus of the organism. Phagocytosis chiefly is 
inhibited. 
2. It is non-toxic even in much larger quantities 
SCIENCE 
237 
than the amount necessary to change a sublethal 
dose of symptomatic anthrax bacilli into the lethal 
dose. 
3. Repeated injections of sterile edema fluid 
leads to a considerable degree of immunity. The 
animals are not only immune themselves, but also 
yield serum that protects normal animals from 
subsequent infection. 
4. Such a serum shows the presence of anti- 
bodies demonstrable both in vitro and in vivo, 
the most striking characteristic being its favor- 
able effect upon the phenomenon of phagocytosis. 
5. In the subcutaneous circumscribed infiltra- 
tion following artificial infection, immunized ani- 
mals may under certain circumstances harbor vir- 
ulent symptomatic anthrax bacilli. 
Therefore, the immunity can not be considered 
bacteriolytic. 
6. The immunity consists of a complete or par- 
tial inhibition of the growth of symptomatic an- 
thrax bacilli in the body of the immunized animal. 
If the immunity is not sufficient to suppress com- 
pletely the growth of bacilli, they multiply locally 
and are still able to produce toxin. The difference 
between antitoxic and anti-infectious immunity is 
in the case of symptomatic anthrax quite evident. 
7. The fact frequently observed in our experi- 
ments that immune animals may harbor in their 
bodies symptomatic anthrax bacilli, fully virulent 
for normal animals, is worthy of consideration 
from an epidemiological standpoint. 
8. The method of immunization with aggressin 
is advantageous in that the inoculating material is 
a sterile fluid, hence the danger of making bacil- 
lus-earriers or setting up a virulent infection 
through the vaccinating material is avoided. 
The Réle of Homologous Cultures in the Produc- 
tion of Immunity in Rabbits to Fowl Cholera: 
Puitip B. HADLEY. 
The present paper describes certain aspects of 
an immunity artificially produced in rabbits 
against infection with a very virulent culture of 
the fowl cholera organism. This was accomplished 
by means of a subcutaneous inoculation with a 
small amount of a nearly virulent, homologous 
culture of the cholera bacterium. The following 
points are made clear: 
1. Of ten different strains of the fowl cholera 
organism employed, only one (Culture 52) was 
capable of producing immunity to a highly vir- 
ulent culture. 
2. The smallest amount of Culture 52 found to 
produce immunity was 0.000,000,01 ec. but 
