ACTION OF LIGHT ON MIORO-ORaANISMS 365 



inoculated with ordinary anthrax or with ' asporogene ' 

 anthrax.^ Therefore the bacilli of anthrax are capable of 

 resisting far higher temperatures in the dry than in the 

 moist condition. 



Spokeless Anthrax {Asporogene). — Desiccation Experi- 

 ments with Broth Cidtures in Diffused Light and 

 in Darkness respectively 



Instead of anthrax blood, drops of bouillon con- 

 taining artificially prepared ' asporogene ' anthrax were 

 employed. 



In dried anthrax bouillon in contact with air, and 

 kept at from 16°-22° 0. in diffused daylight, the baciUi 

 preserved their vitality for twenty-one days. 



In vacuo under otherwise similar conditions, for 

 seventeen days. 



Dried anthrax bouillon cultures of bacilli in contact 

 with air, and preserved in the dark at 33° C, preserved 

 their vitality for ten daj^-s. 



In vacuo under similar conditions, for twelve days. 



Thus anthrax bacilli preserve their vitality far 

 longer in dried blood than in dried bouillon. No ex- 

 periments were made with dried bouiUon cultures in the 

 dark at 16° to 22° C. 



The same difference was observed when dried 

 bouillon cultures were submitted to high temperatures. 

 Thus thirty minutes' exposure in dried bouillon to 86° C, 

 forty minutes to 80° C, and fifty minutes to 75° C. suf- 

 ficed to kill the bacilli, whereas in dried blood they only 

 succumbed after ninety minutes' exposure to -92° C. 



It is to be regretted that Momont has not recorded 



^ Chamberland and Eoux made the interesting discovery that anthrax 

 bacilli were unable to produce spores in bouillon to which a small amount 

 of phenol had been added. Such sporeless bacilli (or asporogene an- 

 thrax) are quite as virulent as the ordinary anthrax bacilli. 



