Makrcu 1, 1901.] 
solution, and a bouillon culture fluid, made 
both with .5-per-cent. salt and without 
salt, were compared side by side, and were 
found to be fully equivalent. Blood di- 
luted with any of the above readily pro- 
duced the agglutination test, about the 
same time elapsing in all cases before the 
agglutination occurred. A. further series 
of experiments tested the influence of the 
viscosity of fluids upon motile bacteria, as 
aiding in explaining agglutination. These 
experiments showed that the typhoid bacil- 
lus becomes readily agglutinated in fluids 
having considerable viscosity. For testing 
this phenomenon, gelatin and egg albumen 
were used both of which caused the ba- 
cilli to adhere in clumps, which, however, 
were dissipated if the solutions were di- 
luted. While these observations were re- 
garded as having significance in interpret- 
ing the serum test, the author was of the 
opinion that, when properly conducted, the 
agglutination obtained in the serum test 
ean readily be distinguished from that 
which is the result of such physical con- 
ditions. 
Growth of Bacteria in the Presence of Chloro- 
form and Thymol: ERwin F. Suita, Wash- 
ington, D. C. 
As an illustration of the frequent de- 
pendence of bacteriologists and physiolog- 
ical chemists upon chloroform as an auti- 
septic, the speaker cited various passages 
from the recent valuable English work of 
Green on ‘ The Soluble Ferments and Fer- 
mentation.’ In this book there are many 
statements and implications that animal 
and vegetable infusions can be preserved 
from bacteria growths during their ex- 
amination by the addition of chloroform. 
Twelve micro-organisms are known which 
grow readily in test-tube cultures of milk, 
beef bouillon, etc., to-which an equal vol- 
ume of chloroform has been added. This 
probably by no means exhausts the list. 
SCIENCE. 
327 
Test-tube cultures of eight of these organ- 
isms growing readily in presence of chloro- 
form were exhibited. Two organisms are 
also known which grow readily in beef 
bouillon to which thymol has been added. 
It would appear, therefore, that there is no 
general rule, but that each bacterial organ- 
ism must be tested by itself as to the effect 
upon it of chloroform, thymol, ete. If 
chloroform is used to preserve fluids or 
macerations of animal and vegetable sub- 
stances from the growth of micro-organisms, 
it would be well to seal the flasks and keep 
them constantly agitated. Moreover, if one 
would be certain of their continued sterility, 
the freedom from bacteria growth of the 
substances under examination must be de- 
termined from time to time by microscopic 
examination and by cultures made from the 
fluids or macerations, otherwise, especially 
where bacterial organisms are able to pro- 
duce the same substances as those sought for 
in plant or animal tissue, e. g., cytase, dias- 
tase, etc., there can be no certainty as to the 
exact origin of the substance in question. 
Infection by means of Modeling Clay: M. O. 
LericHron, Montclair, N. J. 
The author’s attention is drawn to the 
possibility of the distribution of infectious 
disease among school children by the com- 
mon use of model-clay. In the ordinary 
schools such clay, after having been used by 
one student, is returned to the stock box 
and subsequently used again. Study of 
clay thus obtained from schools showed 
bacteria to be tolerably abundant in the 
clay. The species of bacteria identified 
were those which ordinarily occur in pus 
formations, thus showing that clay may 
be capable of distributing these organisms. 
An attempt to sterilize clay showed that the 
only efficient means of accomplishing this 
purpose is by the use of superheated steam 
under the pressure of 15-20 pounds for 45 
minutes. Next, an attempt was made to 
