504 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



from four to fourteen days, the albumen undergoes a change of consist- 

 ence. By the fourth day it is fluid and transparent ; from the fifth to 

 the fourteenth it is transparent but firm, gelatinous and yellowish. Both 

 modifications can be produced in a steam sterilizer either alono or in 

 combination with gelatin (3 to 10 per cent, half-fluid) or agar agar (1 per 

 cent. firm). For testing tho utility of this medium for cultivation purposes 

 the author's three combinations of alkali albuminate were (1) Bouillon 

 albuminate: Albumen of eggs having lain four days in 10 per cent. 

 KHO solution, and water added to make a 10 per cent, solution which 

 was steam sterilized in tho usual way for three days, and then put in 

 test-tubes or Pasteur's " Matras " and again sterilized. (2) Syrup alkali 

 albuminate : Albumen having been four days in KHO was diluted one- 

 half with water, placed in test-tubes, and sterilized in the usual way. 

 (3) Firm albuminate (a) Sterilized : Half-fluid albumen of four days' 

 standing was poured in test-tubes and steam sterilized at 105° for some 

 minutes to one hour on one or three days. It resulted that albumen 

 after fifteen minutes' sterilization became opalescent-whitish, but was 

 always transparent. On repeated or protracted sterilization it hardened 

 and became of a yellowish-orange colour. (6) Unsterilized : Hard 

 transparent hen's egg albumen of fourteen days' standing in 10 per cent. 

 KHO was cut up into thin plates and treated like potato cultivations. 

 On these three media various bacteria were sown. Bacillus anthracis 

 grew very well on the bouillon albuminate ; on No. 2 and 3 it was 

 slower in starting. The cultivations were all pathogenic. Spirochsete 

 cliolerse asiaticse and Prior-Finkler grew just as well as on their ordinary 

 media. Although the latter fluidified No. 2 and No. 3 albuminates, the 

 colonies were not characteristic. Bacillus tuberculosis and Mallei grew 

 well, as did also Bacillus subtilis, prodigiosus, Micrococcus ruber Fliigge, 

 Sarcina flava, and orange. The authors lay stress on the simplicity of 

 the production, the transparency and the cultural utility of this new 

 medium fin* the most different kinds of bacteria. They anticipate that 

 it will eventually supplant the ordinary gelatin, agar, and serum 

 media. 



Fatty Matters in Cultivation Media.* — Sig. L. Manfredi reports 

 his experiments with cultivation media containing fatty matters. 



The results were that whenever the fatty constituent (as in broths) 

 reached one-third of the total amount, the bacillus of anthrax failed to 

 thrive, and that when it passed that proportion, the cultivation became 

 exceedingly feeble, totally ceasing before two-thirds was reached. This 

 is given as a matter of precaution to those who experiment with fatty 

 broths, &c. It has, however, a value beyond this, viz. that with the 

 decreasing vitality of the specific microbes, their virus is attenuated, and 

 that, consequently, by using a certain amount of fatty matter in the pure 

 cultures, the virus may be correspondingly attenuated. 



Collecting Microscopic Algae. 



[" Take waxed paper (from cakes of soap, &c.), and punch holes slightly 

 smaller than the largest covers ; then wrap the paper about the slides in 

 such a way as to bring the holes in the middle on each slide. On suspending 

 the slides good mounts can be obtained. Surround it with a ring, place on 

 another slip or cover-glass, and it is ready for observation."] 



Scientif. Enquirer, II. (1888) p. G8. 



St. Louis Med. and Surg. Journ., liv. (1888) p. 97, from Giorn. Internat. 



