296 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



part of the bend in the siphon ; it continues to act until the level of the 

 water reaches the bottom of the inside tube. From four years' experi- 

 ence the author asserts that this strainer never becomes clogged. 



Culture of Fungus of Favus (Achorioii Schonleinii).* — Dr. A. J. 

 Munnich obtained beautiful cultivations of the Favus fungus upon 

 Lofifler's alkaline-gelatin-agar, with 1 per cent, grape sugar, hydrocele- 

 agar, and upon blood- serum. It grew most quickly and luxuriantly on 

 meat-pepton-agar acidulated with lactic acid. 



Pure cultivations were only obtained by taking the root of a hair, 

 which had been cut off with every care from a scalp previously well 

 cleaned, and dropping it into tubes of fluid gelatin or agar. Other 

 methods such as plate cultivations and the like were always complicated 

 with all sorts of fungi, Achorion grows best at 30°, and only slowly at 

 22°. The mycelium consists of filaments of different lengths and 

 thicknesses, which end terminally in sj)heroidal or somewhat flattened 

 expansions, or in bodies somewhat resembling the oogonia of Sapro- 

 legnia. There are also other bodies, perhaps sclerotia ; these are large 

 and small, flat or round, oval or reniform. Inoculation of the culti- 

 vations on animals were unsuccessful. 



Ordinary Foodstuff as Media for propagating Pathogenic Micro- 

 organisms.! — Prof. A. Celli has made some experiments to ascertain 

 how far our ordinary foodstuffs offer suitable conditions for the growth 

 and multiplication of pathogenic micro-organisms. The experiments 

 were made from pure cultivations of the bacilli of anthrax, typhoid, 

 Asiatic cholera, Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus, bacteria of fowl-cholera, 

 glanders, streptococci of erysipelas, and Finkler-Prior's vibrio, j^artly 

 on sterilized and partly on unsterilized media. These media were egg- 

 albumen, meats fresh, boiled, salted, smoked, and roasted, ricotta (butter- 

 milk curd), various cheeses, and some fruits, apples, pears, melons, and 

 pumpkins. The conclusion drawn is that it is quite possible that our 

 foods may become the vehicle for the spread of infectious diseases. 

 Although most of the results might have been anticipated from a priori 

 considerations, others are worth mentioning. Thus, fresh meat, when 

 dried, loses its nutritive capacity. The cholera vibrio dies in twelve 

 hours on boiled ham, and in six hours on saveloys, while the typhoid 

 bacillus retains its viability for about a month, and anthrax for about 

 two and a half months. On ricotta, typhoid germs were still viable 

 after five days, while cholera vibrios were no longer so. On uncooked 

 cheese, the viability of cholera germs was found to be impaired in 

 twelve hours, while those of typhoid, anthrax, and of Staphylococcus re- 

 tained their activity after seventeen days. On sterilized cheese, cholera 

 germs did not seem to be able to obtain a foothold. On apples and pears, 

 cultivations of typhoid bacilli and Staphylococcus did not thrive, and 

 cholera bacilli were only recognizable microscopically ; the latter seemed 

 to lose in six to twenty hours their power of reproduction on transfer- 

 ence to other media, although they retained their characteristic form, 

 even if the fruit were dried. On pumpkins and melons, the bacteria of 

 typhoid, anthrax, and cholera, and Staphylococcus kept pure up to six 



' Archiv f. Hygiene, viii. (1888) p. 246. 



t Bull. E. Accad. Med. Eoma, 1888. Cf. Centralbl. f. Bacteriol. u. Parasitenk., 

 V. (1889) pp. 159-61. 



