April i, 1892.] 



SCIENCE. 



193 



Pharmacology, and Therapeutics," by W. Hale White; "The Stu- 

 dent's Guide to Diseases of the Nervous System," by J. A. Ormerod, 

 ■with 66 illustrations; "A Dictionary of Psychological Medicine, 

 ■giving the De8nition, Etymology, and Synonyms of the Terms 

 used in Medical Psychology, with the Symptoms, Pathology, and 

 Treatment of the Recognized Forms of Mental Disorder, together 

 with the Law of Lunacy in Great Britain and Ireland," in two 

 volumes, edited by D. Hack Tuke. 



Messrs. Whittaker & Co. — New volumes of the Specialists' 

 Series — "Lightning Conductors and Guards,'' by Oliver J. Lodge, 

 F.R.S., with numerous illustrations; "The Dynamo," by C. C. 

 Hawkins and F. Wallis, with numerous original diagrams; "A 

 Guide to Electric Lighting," by S R. Bottone, for householders 

 and amateurs, with 77 illustrations. Whittaker's Manual Instruc- 

 ■tion Series — "Manual Instruction: Woodwork," by S. Barter, 

 Organizer and Instructor for the London School Board, and to the 

 Joint Committee on Manual Training of the School Board for 

 London, the City and Guilds of London Institute, and the Wor- 

 shipful Company of Drapers, with over 300 illustrations; " Leather 

 Work, Stamped, Moulded, and Cut, CuirBouille, Sewn, &c.," by 

 Charles G. Leland, author of " Wood Carving," with numerous 

 illustrations. Whittaker's Library of Popular Science — "Mine- 

 ralogy," by Dr. F. Hatch, with numerous illustrations; "Che- 

 mistry," by T. Bolas with many illustrations. 



Messrs. Sampson Low & Co. — " Answers to the Questions on 

 Elementary Chemistry, Theoretical and Practical (Ordinary 

 Course), set at the Examinations of the Science and Art Depart- 

 ment, South Kensington, 1887 to 1891," by John Mills, two vols., 

 fully illustrated; " Chemistry for Students, consisting of a Series 

 of Lessons based on the Syllabus of the Science and Art Depart- 

 ment, and specially designed to facilitate the experimental teach- 

 ing of Elementary Chemistry in Schools. and Evening Classes," by 

 John Mills, numerous illustrations; "Decorative Electricity," by 

 Mrs. J. E. H. Garden, with a chapter on Fire Risks by J. E. H. 

 Gordon, and numerous illustrations by Herbert Fell, engraved on 

 wood by J. D. Cooper; " Examination of Soils," by W. T. Brannt. 



Messrs. George Philip & Son. — " Makers of Modern Thought; 

 or. Five Hundred Years' Struggle (a. d. 1300 to a d. 1699) between 

 Science, Ignorance, and Superstition," by David Nasmith, in two 

 volumes; "Christopher Columbus," by Clements R. Markham, 

 Vol. VII. of "The World's Great Explorers and Explorations"; 

 '■ The Development of Africa," by Arthur Silva White, new and 

 cheap edition, revised to date, with fourteen colored maps; 

 " Philips' General Atlas." entirely new and revised edition, with 

 several additional maps; "Philips' Systematic Atlas," for higher 

 schools and general use, a series of physical and political maps of 

 all the countries of the world, with diagrams and illustrations of 

 astronomy and physical geography, specially drawn by E. G. 

 Eavenstein; " Philips' Atlas of Astronomy," a series of seventy- 

 two plates, with notes and index by Sir Robert Stawell Ball, 

 F.R.S., Royal Astronomer of Ireland; "Tourists' Handy Volume 

 Atlas of Europe," a series of colored maps, with notes, plans of 

 cities, and complete consulting index, by J. G. Bartholomew. 



Messrs. Swan Sonnenschein & Co. — "Animal Coloration," by 

 Frank Beddard, Prosector to the Zoological Society, with four 

 colored plates by P. J. Smit, and numerous wood-cuts; "Text- 

 book of Embryology: Man and Mammals," by Dr. Oscar Hertwig, 

 of the University of Berlin, translated and edited from the third 

 German edition by Dr. E. L. Mark, Professor of Anatomy in 

 Harvard University, fully illustrated; " Text-book of Embryology: 

 Invertebrates," by Drs. Korschelt and Heider, of the University of 

 Berlin, translated and edited by Dr. E. L. Mark, Professor of 

 Anatomy in Harvard University, and Dr. W. M. Woodworth, As- 

 sistant Professor in Harvard University, fully illustrated; "Text- 

 book of Geology," adapted from the work of Dr. Kayser, Profes- 

 sor in the University of Marburg, by Philip Lake, of St. John's 

 College, Cambridge, fully illustrated; "The Geographical Dis- 

 tribution of Disease in England and Wales," by Alfred Haviland, 

 with several colored maps; "A Treatise on Public Hygiene and 

 its Applications in different European Countries," by Dr. Albert 

 Palmerg, translated, and the English portion edited and revised, 

 by Arthur Newsholme, fully illustrated; "The Photographer's 

 Pocket-book,'" by Dr. E. Vogel. '' Introductory Science Text- 



Books," additions — introductions to the study of ^" Zoology," by 

 B. Lindsay, illustrated; "The Amphioxus," by Dr. B. Hatschek, 

 of the University of Vienna, and James Tuckey, of the University 

 of Durham, illustrated; " Geology," by Edward B. Aveling, Fel- 

 low of University College, London, illustrated ; "Physiological 

 Psychology," by Dr. Th. Ziehen, of the University of Jena, adapted 

 by Dr. Otto Beyer, with twenty-two figures. 



Messrs. Crosby Lockwood & Son. — "A Hand-book of Brewing, 

 a Practical Treatise for the use of Brewers and their Pupils," by 

 Herbert Edwards Wright; "A Treatise on Earthy and other 

 Minerals and Mining," by the late D. C. Davies, third edition, re- 

 vised and very considerably extended by his son, E. H. Davies; 

 "Fuels: Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous, their Analysis and Valua- 

 tion," for the use of chemists and engineers, by H. J. Phillips, 

 second edition, revised and much enlarged. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



»*. Correspondents are requested to be as brief as possible. The writer's nam* 

 is in all cases required as proof of good faith. 



On request in advance, one hundred copies of the number containing his 

 communication will be furnished free to any correspondent. 



The editor will be glad to publish any queries consonant with the charactir 

 of the journal. 



The Bacillus of Influenza. 



In consequence of the inaccuracy of two articles which have 

 recently appeared in Science on the subject of the bacillus of influ- 

 enza, the undersigned considers it necessary to give the following de- 

 tailed abstract of the preliminary publications which have appeared 

 this year in the Deutsche Medicinische Wochenschrift regarding the 

 isolation and cultivation of this organism, and its relation to the 

 disease. 



The baciUus of influenza was no doubt observed by Babes in 

 1890, but he describes a variety of other organisms as occurring 

 in influenza, and his communications ' - show no more evidence 

 than those of other authors of his having proved this or any other 

 organism, to be peculiar to the disease. To the simultaneously 

 published observations of Pfeitfer,' Kitasato,'' and Canon,5 we 

 must look for definite information on this subject, and to them 

 most certainly is due the credit of discovery. 



Where the bacillus of influenza is found. The bacilli are found 

 in large numbers in the sputa and bronchial secretion of those 

 who are suffering from influenza, and also to a greater or less ex- 

 tent in the blood. The bacilli in the sputa have been obtained in 

 pure culture after a new method by Kitasato, and, according to 

 Pfeiffer, their number in sputa bears a direct relation to the pro- 

 gress of the disease, the bacilli disappearing together with the 

 purulent bronchial secretion. Pfeiffer suggests, in view of this 

 fact, that the sputa be regarded as infectious material. This au- 

 thor examined the purulent bronchial secretion of thirty-one cases 

 of influenza, and in all found the bacillus, which will presently 

 be described. In uncomplicated cases of influenza pure cultures 

 of the organism were obtained. He reports six autopsies, in two 

 of which he obtained pure cultures. The bacilli occur in enormous 

 numbers and frequently are observed in the pus cells. The ex- 

 amination of the lungs showed that the bacilli penetrate from the 

 bronchi into the peri- bronchial tissue and may even attain the 

 pleural surface, where, in two of the autopsies the bacilli were 

 obtained in pure cultures from the exsudate on the surface of the 

 pleura. In almost every one of twenty cases examined by Canon 

 the characteristic bacilli were observed to be present in the blood 

 (see further under staining). He usually found four to twenty 

 isolated bacilli in each cover-glass preparation. In six cases where 



• Babes, v., Vorlauflge Mltthellungen uebar elnlge bel Influeoza gefun- 

 deno Bakterien (Feb. 17-May 3). Centralbl f. Bakterlol., 1S90, vol. vlt, pp. 

 233-241, 460-464, 496-502, 533-638, 561-568, 503-606 ( with sis photographs). 



= Babes, V., Ueber die bel Influenza getundene feluen Bakterien (Feb. 11). 

 Deutsche Med. Wochenachr., 1893, No. 6, pp. 113-115. 



3 Pfeiffer, R., Vorlauflge Mitthellungen ueber die Erreger der Influenza 

 (Jan. 14). Deutsche Med. Wochenschr., 1892, No. 2, p. 28. 



' Kitasato, S , Ueber den Influeuzabacillus und sein Culturverfahren iJan. 

 14). Deutsche Med. Wochenschr., 1S92, No. 2, p. 28 (reported to the Society of 

 Charltii Physicians, Jan. 7). 



" Canon, P., Ueber elnen Mikroorganlsmus Im Blute von luflueuzaliranken 

 I Jan. 14). Deutsche Med. Wochenschr, 1802, Ko. 2, pp. 28-29. 



