382 



SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



separated morphologically from Spirillum, Bacillus, and Bacterium — 

 also behave, as regards the tension of oxygen, almost exactly like 

 Spirillum and not like Bacterium termo. 



The author regards * Spirillum as remarkably sensitive to the 

 presence of free oxygen ; and he considei's that the vital phenomena 

 of both the lowest vegetable (Schizomycetes) and the lowest animal 

 forms (Infusoria) are closely parallel to those of higher animals ; their 

 activity being dependent, in almost the same degree, on their require- 

 ments of oxygen and of solid and liquid food for carrying on their 

 vital processes. 



Influence of Concussion on the Developments of the Schizo- 

 mycetes.t — J. Reinke has determined, by a careful series of experi- 

 ments, that mechanical concussion produces a hindering effect on the 

 production of Schizomycetes. He believes the cause to be the same 

 as that of the retarding influence of light, viz. the concussion occa- 

 sioned between the minute particles of protoplasm. 



Experimental Production of the Bacteria of the Cattle- 

 distemper.J — C. v. Nageli has carried out a series of experiments on 

 the conditions imder which the bacteria are produced which accom- 

 pany the distemper of cattle. The most important fact established is 

 that these bacteria are capable of transformation into a transitional 

 form which may constitute a pellicle on the surface of the nutrient 

 fluid, possessed of spontaneous motile properties, and which has a 

 very slightly infectious character ; constituting a transitional stage 

 towards the hay-bacteria. The following is a tabular arrangement 

 of the characters of the three primary forms, when grown in three 

 different substrata. The author is strongly of opinion that these 

 three fungi are simple adaptive forms of one and the same organism, 

 Bacterium subtile. 



Distemper-bacteria. 



Transitional Form. 



Hay-bacteria. 



Slightly acid No increase, 

 infusion of hay. 



1 p. cent, extract Solution clear ; Solution cloudy, a loose Solution clear, with a 

 of meat. cloudy at the mucilaginous pellicle; solid dry white pelli- 



bottom. flakes aud pieces of tlie cle, submersed with 



pellicle at the bottom, difficulty. 



Formation of a slight A dry pellicle moist- 

 white rim on the sur- eued with difficulty, 

 face of the fluid. usually appearing 



wrinkled or pulveru- 

 lent. 

 I 

 A living animal. Infectious in Infectious only when Not infectious in the 

 very small increased more thani largest quantities, 



quantities; dis- a thousand-fold ; di8-| 

 temper, temper. 



* Pfliiger's Arch. f. d. gesammte Phys., xxvi. (1881) pp. 537-45. 



t Ibid., xxxiii. (1881) pp. 443-68. See Bot. Centralbl., viii. (1881) p. 307. 



X SB. Akad. Wisr?. Miinclieu, 1882, j.p. 147-69. 



