454 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



same was the case also with the Hyphomycetes. The author concludes 

 that, although it is possible that, under certain conditions, bacteria may be 

 able to oxidize ammonia, yet the nitrification which goes on in the soil is 

 mainly due to inorganic factors, the power of the soil in this respect being 

 possibly analogous to that of spongy platinum. 



Bacteria in the Soil.* — Herr L. Adametz has examined the bacteria 

 and other low fungoid organisms present in the soil, and finds them almost 

 identical, whether the soil be sandy or loamy. Of Schizomycetes he finds 

 Micrococcus candidus, M. luteus, M. auraniiacus, Diplococcus luteus, Bacterium 

 Lineola, B. Termo, Bacillus subtilis, B. hutyricus, Vibrio Bugula, and two 

 new bacteria, one of which produces a blue-green fluorescent pigment, and 

 a new bacillus. Of Saccharomycetes there were found Saccharomyces glutinis, 

 Monilia Candida, and red and white torulose cells ; of moulds, Penicillium 

 glaucum, Mucor Mucedo, M. racemosus, M. stolonifer, Aspergillus glaucus, and 

 O'idium lactis. The number of Schizomycetes was estimated by Thoma's 

 apparatus as varying between 400,000 and 500,000 per gramme of soil. 



The author was unable to affirm the presence of a distinct bacterium 

 with the power of oxidizing considerable quantities of ammonia into nitric 

 acid ; on the other hand he found not unfrequently that they caused a pro- 

 duction of ammonia by reduction of nitrates. He regards the function of 

 the moulds, which frequently hibernate in the soil, to be the decomposition 

 of carbohydrates without the production of gases with an ofiensive smell. 



Bacteria in Drinking-water.f — Mr. M. Bolton, in his research, used 

 Koch's plate-culture method, as he found it to be superior to the Fol- 

 Dunant jDrocedure. 



From an examination of difierent waters (spring, pond, &c.), he found, 

 in agreement with Cramer and Leone, that a significant increase of bacteria 

 takes jilace at first, but that this increase is succeeded, in three to ten days, 

 by a slowly augmenting decrease. He further found that the quality of 

 the water in respect to its organic and inorganic contents was without 

 influence on the increase of water bacteria. A temperature of 1° C. was 

 marked by a diminution in the number of bacteria, while temperatures of 

 6°, 15°, and 22° C, was followed by a proportional increase. The influence 

 of hydrogen and carbonic acid gases (effected by means of the apparatus 

 employed by Liborius) showed that the former gas was little or no hin- 

 drance to development, while CO2 diminished the developmental activity, 

 or even destroyed it. 



The question whether pathogenic bacteria such as B. anthracis, Staphy- 

 lococcus aureus, M. tetragonus, and B. entericus, were capable of propagating 

 themselves in water, was decided in the negative. The disappearance of 

 these organisms showed itself more quickly at higher temperatures (35° C.) 

 than at lower ones (20° C), and was further dependent on their capacity 

 for specific resistance, and esjjecially whether they were sporiferous or not. 

 The quality of the water made considerable difference ; for if nutrient 

 material such as meat infusion were in small quantity, typhoid and cholera 

 bacilli began to multiply. 



Bacteria in Water.| — Dr. G. Wolffhiigel and Dr. O. Eiedel, from their 

 experiments, arrived at the same conclusions with regard to pathogenic 

 bacteria as Mr. Bolton. They differ, however, from him as to the non- 

 pathogenic forms, inasmuch as their experiments showed that typhoid 

 and anthrax bacilli increased in water when temperature conditions were 



* Adametz, L., • Unters. iib. d. niederen Pilzo d. Ackerkriime,' 78 pp. and 2 pla., 

 Leipzig, 1886. t Zeitschr. f. Hygiene, i. (1886) p. 75. 



X Arbeit. K. Gesundheitsamtc, 188G, Heft 2. Cf. Zeitschr. f. Wiss. Mikr., iii. 

 (1886) pp. 417-20. 



