410 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. No. 665 



table of the laboratory, the temperature being 

 88-90° F. 



At 11 A.M. a medium-sized bitch was ether- 

 ized ; her left thigh was amputated and imme- 

 diately replaced by the thigh of the dead dog. 

 The reconstruction of the thigh began by the 

 suture of the bone, the adductors and quadri- 

 ceps. Then the femoral vessels were united 

 and the circulation reestablished at 1 p.m. 

 The operation was completed by the suture of 

 the nerves, muscles, aponeuroses and skin, and 

 the limb placed in a plaster of Paris appa- 

 ratus. 



On April 23, 24 and 25 the animal remained 

 in good condition and walked on her three 

 normal feet. The transplanted limb was 

 warmer than the normal one and its circula- 

 tion very active. On April 26 she appeared 

 to be sick. There was a phlegmon of the 

 thigh. Incisions were made in Scarpa's tri- 

 angle and on the transplanted limb, which was 

 warm. Hemorrhage of red blood occurred 

 from the incisions in the transplanted limb. 



During the succeeding days, the circulation 

 of the limb remained active, the foot became 

 swollen and the general condition of the ani- 

 mal declined. On May 1 a large abscess was 

 detected near the pelvis and opened. A small 

 incision having been made on the foot of the 

 transplanted limb, hemorrhage of red blood 

 occurred. The general condition of the ani- 

 mal was very low. On May 2 the animal died 

 of septicemia. 



Then it was found that the lumen of the 

 femoral vessels was free from thrombus, and 

 the intima smooth and glistening. There was 

 no deposit of fibrin on the lines of suture. In 

 spite of the infection, the union of the vessels 

 was escellent. The skin and the muscles were 

 cicatrized and the ends of the femur firmly 

 united by the ligature. 



The Bacieriotherapy of Leprosy: Paul G. 



WooLLEY (by invitation). 



It seemed to the author that, lacking pure 

 cultures for the purpose, he might make the 

 leprosy patient serve as his own culture me- 

 dium. It is well known how abundant are 

 the bacilli in the lepra nodule. The author 

 excised a nodule from the arm of an advanced 



and wretched case of the tubercular form of 

 leprosy. The nodule was very rich in bacilli. 

 It was ground with sand and salt solution; 

 centrif ugalized ; heated to 65-70° 0. for fif- 

 teen minutes, and treated with enough 5-per- 

 cent, carbolic acid to make a suspension con- 

 taining 0.5 per cent, of the acid. This sus- 

 pension was rich in bacilli. Of it subcutane- 

 ous inoculations of 0.01 c.c. were made at 

 intervals, the intervals depending on the gen- 

 eral condition of the patient. Experience 

 with the more exact methods possible with the 

 analogous disease, tuberculosis, indicates that 

 minimal inoculations of the dead bacilli must 

 be continued over a long period before a gen- 

 uine arrest is attained; even, therefore, with 

 the most favorable outcome, the author does 

 not expect to report the results of this treat- 

 ment for months to come. The author com- 

 municated the method in order that others 

 with fuller opportunities may test it. 

 Direct Silver Staining of Spirochetes and 



Flagellated Bacteria: -Simon Plexner. 



The discussion of the nature of the struc- 

 ture now called Spirocheta (Treponema) pal- 

 lida — whether a microorganism or some his- 

 tological elements — led Plexner to try to effect 

 the silver staining directly upon smear prepa- 

 rations prepared from serum exudates ob- 

 tained from syphilitic lesions. While engaged 

 unsuccessfully in this endeavor. Stern,' of 

 Prag, published a simple method for staining 

 the spirochetes directly with silver nitrate. 

 When the deposit of silver presents a metallic 

 sheen the impregnation is regarded as suffi- 

 cient. Plexner has found the method very 

 simple and sufficient; but he has obtained bet- 

 ter results from long (3-4 days) than from 

 short (1-2 days) exposures. The length of 

 exposure required will depend somewhat upon 

 the weather (strength of light) and the thick- 

 ness of the spread. Moderately heavy spreads 

 have given him better results than thinner 

 ones, and impression preparations better than 

 smear preparations. 



Other spirochetal organisms, from the buc- 

 cal cavity, etc., may be silvered by this meth- 

 od, and bacteria may also be silvered. In a 



^ Stern, Berl. klin. Woch., 1907, XLIV., 400. 



