472 SUMMARY OP CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Protophyta. 



Filamentous Heterocystous Nostochineae.* — Messrs. E. Bornct and 

 C. Flahault have prepared a synoptical table to all known species 

 of RivulariaceEe, Sirosiphonacea), and Scytonemca3. Tbeso include 

 21 genera and 114 species. Of tbose species 83 are fresb-watcr, and 

 27 marine, wbile 4 belong to brackish water. 20 of them arc cosmo- 

 politan ; 52 belong to Europe only, 40 to America, and 5 to the East ; 

 18 are common to Europe and America, 6 to America and the East, 2 to 

 Europe and the East. In temperate countries, and especially in Europe, 

 the plants of these families abound most in the warmer regions ; and 

 the reason why so comparatively few species are known to inhabit the 

 tropics is probably the paucity of material from those countries. 

 Advancing from the hot level country to the mountains, the species 

 gradually become less numerous, and finally disappear altogether in tho 

 Alpine regions. The fourth family or Nostocacese are not treated of in 

 this paper. 



New Chromogenic Bacillus— Bacillus coeruleus.f— Dr. J. A. Smith 

 has found in the water of the Schuylkill river a hitherto unknown 

 species of chromogenic bacillus, which he has named Bacillus cceruleus. 

 At ordinary temperatures it developes on boiled potato a beautiful dark 

 blue colour, which later deepens to a black-blue. The colonies form 

 cup-shaped depressions with raised edges. It is aerobic, at least its 

 colour-formation is associated with access of air, for cultivations within 

 the gelatin mass are colourless, while the upper part shows a bluish 

 tinge. Gelatin cultivations were always fluid on tho surface. The cells 

 take up the colour, which is insoluble in water, spirit, or acid. On 

 potato, where the colour is best seen, the bacilli, in contrast to Micro- 

 coccus cyaneus, only grow on the surface. The bacillus is 2-2*5 p 

 long and 0'5 /x broad. It usually developes in leptothrix-like chains. 

 If the preparations were overheated, many became comma-shaped. They 

 stain well with methyl-violet. 



Bacillus cozruleus is distinguished from B. syncyaneus, B. violaceus, 

 and M. cyaneus by its deep blue colour. It is not pathogenic. 



Scheurlen's Cancer Bacillus. J— Prof. P. Baumgarten, in conjunction 

 with Dr. Rosenthal, immediately after the publication of Scheurlen's 

 communication on the cancer bacillus, instituted a series of experiments 

 for ascertaining the value to be attached to the presence of the organism 

 in question. He states that before the cultivation experiments with 

 cancer juice were begun, there presented itself as an unbidden guest upon 

 a potato slice a bacillus, which in its appearance and morphology bore a 

 striking likeness to Scheurlen's bacillus, even if it were not identical 

 therewith. The only demonstrable difference between the two consisted 

 in the fact that the rod-like cells and spores of the potato bacillus seemed 

 somewhat larger than the corresponding formations from the Scheurlen 

 preparations, and that the potato bacillus fluidified the gelatin more 

 strongly than was the case with Scheurlen's cancer bacillus. By means 

 of Scheurlen's method he succeeded in obtaining from the juice of a large 

 number of cancers, chiefly of the mamma, but also from various other 



* Mem. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg, xxv. (1887) pp. 195-222. Cf. this Journal, 

 1887, p. 793. t Med. News, 1887 (ii.) p. 758. 



X Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., iii. (188S) pp. 397-8. 



