May 29, 1914] 



SCIENCE 



807 



age disposal will go far toward restricting the 

 spread of the disease. The exact mode of transmis- 

 sion of pellagra is still uncertain and we strongly 

 urge the continued study of food contamination, 

 of insects as transmitting agents and of close per- 

 sonal association as possible factors in its spread. 



Further Studies with Beference to Spiroclxwta suis : 



Walter E. King, Eaymond H. Drake and G. 



L. Hoffman. 



This report gives in detail the results of the 

 study of the flora of the crypts in the ceea, intes- 

 tinal ulcers and the external local lesions of a num- 

 ber of normal, immune and diseased hogs, with 

 reference to the presence of Spirochwta suis. The 

 study includes the examination of 234 cases by 

 means of the dark field. Of these, positive find- 

 ings have been made in 171 eases, negative find- 

 ings in 63 cases. Of the latter, 38 eases were hogs 

 immune to cholera, 2 were animals susceptible but 

 not exposed to hog cholera, 3 with typical hog 

 cholera but treated with toxic doses of mercuric or 

 arsenical preparations, 16 in which the organism 

 was found either in local lesions or in the crypts 

 and ulcers of the intestines, and 6 eases resulting 

 in negative control findings. In 5 hogs which 

 were made immune to cholera, Spirochwta suis was 

 found in the crypts of their ceea at intervals of 

 from 10 days to 11 weeks after exposure. 



These data, together with results already re- 

 ported, warrant the tentative deduction of the fol- 

 lowing conclusions: (1) In the ulcerated areas of 

 cecAl mucosa and in the crypts, near the ileo-cecal 

 valve, of hogs dead from cholera, is localized a 

 constant species of spirochete, Spirochwta suis. 

 Experimental evidence shows that this organism is 

 pathogenic for swine and that it plays an impor- 

 tant part in the production of hog cholera. (2) 

 The crypts in the ceea of activity immunized hogs 

 may sometimes contain SpirocluEta suis for a vari- 

 able period of time after immunization. (3) Spiro- 

 chwta suis becomes localized in the necrotic tissue 

 or purulent exudate of the external lesions, which 

 are sometimes present in cases of typical hog 

 cholera, especially of the subacute chronic types. 



The Selation of Lavatory Appliances to the Spread 

 ■ of Intestinal Infections: B. R. Bickards and L. 



B. Clore. 



These experiments were carried out to determine 

 the role played by the chain pull and other appli- 

 ances of the toilet room in transmitting from hand 

 to hand typhoid bacilli and other organisms capa- 

 ble of causing intestinal disorders. The surfaces 

 tested were rubbed with sterile cotton swabs 



previously moistened with sterile water. Plates 

 made by rubbing the swabs over the surface of 

 Endos medium in Petri dishes. The plates were 

 incubated for 48 hours at 37° C. and inoculations 

 into plain broth were then made from a number 

 of each of the various kinds of colonies found, at- 

 tention being centered on those cultures having a 

 typical Ba-cillus coli appearance. The work was 

 confined entirely to the detection of the colon 

 group, lack of time preventing experiments being 

 carried on for the presence of B. wrogenes oapsu- 

 latus. The broth cultures were examined micro- 

 scopically after 48 hours' incubation and trans- 

 plants made into Hiss 's semi-solid media. These 

 tests were carried out on media containing, respect- 

 ively, dextrose, lactose, saccharose and mannit. 

 Typical growth on all four media was taken to 

 mean that the organism isolated was a member of 

 the typhoid-colon group. 



In each instance swabs were taken from the 

 front of the seat, back of the seat, door knob and 

 from the handle of the device operating the flush- 

 ing tank. From the low flush tank type, cultures 

 were made from the metal or porcelain lever. If, 

 of the high box type, the swab inoculation was 

 made from the metal or porcelain handle and often- 

 times from the lower parts of the chain, the object 

 of the latter being to see if there was any attempt 

 by the users of the closets to avoid infection by 

 putting the hands on that part of the apparatus 

 not commonly used. For the same reason swabs 

 were in all cases taken from portions of the door 

 with which the hand might come in contact in case 

 the handle of the door was avoided. 



B. coli was isolated in pure culture from swabs 

 taken from the following locations. (1) From 

 the seat in two different toilets of the scientific de- 

 partment of the manufacturing establishment. In 

 one case tests were made at three different times 

 and B. coli found each time. (2) From four dif- 

 ferent seats in the public comfort station. In no 

 ease was B. coli detected on the handles of pull or 

 push levers nor on the chains, nor was this organ- 

 ism detected on the metal or porcelain door handles 

 or upon the wood of the door. 



While the results by experiments fail to show 

 presence of B. coli on any other surfaces except on 

 the wooden seat, we still feel that there is a possi- 

 bility that the handles of flushing devices may at 

 times serve as a means of carrying typhoid or 

 other intestinal infection or possibly gonorrhea or 

 syphilis from hand to hand, at short intervals and 

 that foot or automatic levers should take their 

 places. 



