ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 427 



Passage of Charbon-bacteria into the milk of animals infected 

 with Charbon.* — Chambrelent and A. Moussons have made the fol- 

 lowing experiments to determine whether the milk of a female in 

 lactation affected with charbon contains the microbium of the infec- 

 tion. A cobaye, which had up to that time suckled its young, was 

 inoculated with the charbon-virus. It died the next day, and a drop 

 of blood taken from the ventricles of the heart was found to contain 

 an immense quantity of bacteria. A drop of milk was taken from the 

 mamillary gland by means of a sterilized tube, and placed in a 

 Pasteur's " ballon " containing infusion of beef. At this time the 

 milk presented a perfectly normal appearance, and showed no evidence 

 of bacteria, although there were abundance in the blood. Four 

 " ballons " treated in this way were left in the stove for two days ; 

 two were then quite limpid, one appeared to contain impurities ; 

 the fourth presented some flocci, and gave the appearance of a charbo- 

 nized culture. It contained bacteria and interwoven filaments, but 

 only in small numbers. A young cobaye was inoculated with this 

 culture by means of a sterilized tube. It died in two days and its 

 blood was found to contain bacteria. The rest of the culture, left in 

 the stove, had in four days more assumed completely the characteristic 

 appearance of charbon-cultures. A cobaye inoculated with it died 

 the next day. 



In a second experiment the milk was removed before the death of 

 the animal. A young cobaye in lactation was inoculated with charbon- 

 virus ; the next day it was still alive. Milk was removed from it in the 

 same way as before ; four Pasteur's " ballons " were inoculated with it 

 and placed in a stove. After four days one remained quite limpid ; two 

 had assumed the characteristic appearance of charbon-cultures ; the 

 fourth appeared to contain some foreign ferment. The two char- 

 bonized cultures contained great quantities of the characteristic 

 filaments. Two cobayes inoculated with the fluid died the next day, 

 presenting the characteristic lesions of charbon. 



In a third experiment a large rabbit in lactation was inoculated 

 with the same virus, which did not kill it. The milk of this rabbit 

 displayed no bacteria, and the blood only a very few. Inoculation 

 with the milk produced no signs of charbon-bacteria, and only one 

 out of two with the blood. 



The experiments show conclusively that bacteria are found in the 

 milk of animals infected with charbon while they are still alive ; but 

 their number is enormously smaller than in the blood. 



Comparative Poisonous Action of Metals on Bacteria.t— 0. 



Eichet has experimented on this subject, and gives a table of his 

 results. The liquid was sea-water, neutralized urine, and commercial 

 peptone, and the particular metal was added in gradually increasing 

 quantity, in the form of chloride, until no bacteria were developed 

 after forty-eight hours at 16°-20° C. 



* Comptes Eendus, xcvii. (1883) pp. 1142-5. 



t Ibid., pp. 1001-6. See Journ. Chem. Soc— Abstr., xlvi. (1884) pp. 351-2. 



