374 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVIII. No. 976 



cooei isolated from milk and from the human 

 throat have been compared as to their morphology, 

 Gram stain and gentian violet reaction by the 

 plate method, and their quantitative acid produc- 

 tion in seven carbohydrates and related organic 

 media. Hemolysis was studied with 92 strains. 

 We have been able to make no correlation between 

 the length of chain and the relation to violet stain 

 with any other character. Seventeen out of 92 

 cultures gave hemolysis vrhen streaked on blood 

 agar plates. Five of these cultures came from 

 normal milk, five — the most vigorous hemolizers — 

 were from milk where udder trovible was indicated 

 in the cow, and seven were normal throat forms. 

 The seven substances tested showed a definite order 

 of availability for the acid production. This order 

 ("metabolic gradient") and the per cent, of cul- 

 ture yielding 1.2 per cent, or more of acid when 

 grown at 37° C. for three days is shown in the 

 following table: 



Per Cent. 



Glucose (monosaccharide) 98.0 



Lactose (disaccharide) 76.0 



Saccharose (disaccharide) 65.5 



Salicin (glucoside) 42.7 



Eaffinose (trisaccharide) 37.5 



Inulin (starch) 9.0 



Mannite (hexahydria alcohol) 1.5 



It will be noted that the degree of availability is 

 closely associated with the size and complexity of 

 the substance. According to the positive reaction 

 — over 1.2 per cent, acid — in the test substances 

 88 per cent, of the cultures may be placed in eight 

 groups. The following features separate milk 

 from throat streptococci: (1) milk organisms 

 yield over 2.5 per cent, acid in lactose and sac- 

 charose at 37° C. ; (2) they seldom ferment sub- 

 stances higher in the metabolic series than sac- 

 charose; (3) they readily ferment dextrose, lac- 

 tose and saccharose at 20° C. On the other hand, 

 throat streptococci (1) seldom yield over 2.5 per 

 cent, acid in any substance; (2) over 40 per cent, 

 of the cultures yield over 1.2 per cent, acid in 

 either salicin or rafifinose; (3) at 20° C. they 

 almost 'jiever attack any of the seven test sub- 

 stances. 



A Systematic Study of the Coocacw in the Amer- 

 ican Museuvi of Natwal History Collection: 

 I. J. Kligler, Department of Public Health, 

 American Museum of Natural History. 

 A biometric study of 54 strains of cocci in the 

 museum collection was made in order to test the 

 classification proposed by the Winslows in their 

 book on the "Systematic Relationship of the Coe- 



cacie. ' ' Twelve morphological and physiological 

 tests were applied and the results recorded quan- 

 titatively whenever possible. The results corrobo- 

 rate the work done by the Winslows. The cocci — ■ 

 other than streptococci — group themselves into five 

 distinct classes according to the pigment produced 

 as follows: (a) White pigment — AVbococcus; (6) 

 orange pigment — Aurococcns ; (c) yelloiv pigment 

 — Micrococcus ; (d) yellow pigment and pacTcets — 

 Sarcina; (e) red pigment — Bhodococcus. The 

 other properties correlate remarkably with that of 

 pigment production and prove that this generic 

 division is a fundamental one. The definition of 

 species is also based on real differences. The 

 species recognized by Winslow were found to be 

 valid, but the number was incomplete. Three new 

 species were recognized {All}, urea, M. melitensis 

 and S. aurantiaca) and the possible existence of 

 a few others suggested. Further study is neces- 

 sary. The application of the principles of biom- 

 etry to the systematic study of the Coccacse has 

 yielded very successful results. It is hoped that 

 new workers will apply this principle to the sys- 

 tematic study of this and other groups of bacteria. 



Bacteriological Collection and Bureau for the Dis- 

 tribution of Bacterial Cultures at the American 

 Museum of Natural History, New YorTc: C.-E. 



A. WiNSLOVr. 



In .January, 1911, a prospectus, from which the 

 following sentences are quoted, was sent out from 

 the American Museum to the leading laboratories 

 of the country. "The Department of Public 

 Health at the American Museum of Natural His- 

 tory has equipped a laboratory to serve as a cen- 

 tral bureau for the preservation and distribution 

 of bacterial cultures of both pathogenic and non- 

 pathogenic organisms, and particularly of types of 

 new forms and varieties. It is hoped that the 

 laboratories of medical schools, colleges, boards of 

 health, agricultural experiment stations, etc., and 

 those engaged in biochemical work of all sorts, 

 will furnish the museimi with cultures at present 

 in their possession, and the laboratory is now 

 ready to receive and care for any such cultures- 

 Types of new species and varieties are particularly 

 desired at the present time and as they may be 

 isolated in the future. The laboratory, of course, 

 can not undertake to keep on hand bacteria diffi- 

 cult of cultivation, such as can be maintained only 

 for a few weeks after isolation from the body; 

 neither can it at present supply virulent cultures 

 which rapidly lose their virulence under laboratory 

 conditions. It should, however, be able to furnish 



