Cultivation 



389 



The cocci have also been cultivated from the nasal discharges 

 in 6 cases studied by Weichselbaum, and in 18 studied by 

 Scherer. Elser* has isolated the organism from the circulating 

 blood of patients suffering from epidemic cerebro-spinal fever. To 

 determine the presence of the coccus in the nasal discharges where 

 other similar cocci may be present, Gram's stain may be used and 

 followed by an aqueous solution of Bismarck-brown. The men- 

 ingococci will be brown. 



Fig. 142. — Technic of spinal puncture. The patient is sitting on the edge 

 of a chair and is bent forward; the crests of the ilia are indicated by black 

 lines, and are on a level with the spinous process of the fourth lumbar vertebra; 

 the "soft spot" is found just above. The first tube receives the first few drops of 

 fluid, which are usually blood tinged. (Kolmer.) 



Cultivation. — The organism was successfully cultivated by 

 Weichselbaum, but does not readily adapt itself to artificial media. 

 It develops upon agar-agar and glycerin agar-agar^ upon Loffler's 

 blood-serum mixture, and, according to Goldschmidt,t upon potato. 

 Weichselbaum did not find that it developed upon potato. It does 

 not grow in bouillon or gelatin. The cultures are usually scanty 

 and without characteristic features. 



* "Jour. Medical Research," 1906, xiv, 89. 



t "Centralbl. f. Bakt. u. Parasitenk.," 11, 22, 23. 



