200 MICROBES, FERMENTS, AND MOULDS. 
cultivated in distilled water die within twelve hours, 
while they can live for a week in drinking-water. 
(Cornil.) 
The influence of the level of the subterranean 
waters on the progress of cholera epidemics was 
pointed out in Germany by Pettenkofer long before 
there was any serious idea of regarding a microbe as 
the cause. 
During his recent travels in India, Koch met with 
the comma bacillus in the stagnant waters of that 
country. 
For a long while the attempt failed to reproduce 
Asiatic cholera in animals by injections of comma 
bacilli, and thus to prove the parasitic nature of the 
disease. The animals in countries attacked by cholera 
appear to enjoy immunity in this respect. Nicati and 
Rietsch at Marseilles were, however, successful in pro- 
ducing cholera by the direct injection of choleraic liquid 
into the duodenum of guinea-pigs, dogs, ete. Almost, 
all these animals died at the end of two or three days, 
and the inflamed intestines contained a number of 
comma, bacilli, much more vigorous than those of the 
injection. 
Bochefontaine, of Paris, swallowed pills which 
contained choleraic evacuations. He felt unwell for 
some days, but no serious consequences ensued. It 
is probable that in this case the acidity of the gastric 
juice attenuated, or partially destroyed the bacilli. 
We shall see that acids are, in fact; adverse to the 
