698 Leprosy 



The secretion, being rich in lepra bacilli, was taken up with 

 a platinum wire and inoculated upon the culture-medium by a 

 series of linear strokes. The dishes were then sealed with paraffin 

 and kept in the incubating oven at 37°C. 



Numerous colonies, chiefly of Staphylococcus aureus and the 

 bacillus of Friedlander, developed, and in addition a number of 

 colonies, composed of slender bacilli about the size and form of 

 the lepra bacillus. 



These colonies were grayish yellow, humped in the middle, i to 

 2 mm. in diameter, irregularly rounded, and uneven at the edges. 

 They were -firm and could be entirely inverted with the platinum 

 wire, although the consistence was crumbly. They were excavated 

 on the under side. 



The colonies that formed upon agar-agar were much like those 

 described by Bordoni-UfFreduzzi, and appeared as isolated, grayish, 

 rounded flakes, thicker in the center than at the edges, and char- 

 acterized by an irregular serrated border from which a fine irregular 

 network extended upon the medium. These projections consisted 

 of bundles of the bacilli. 



When a transfer was made from one of these colonies to fresh 

 media, the growth became apparent in a few days and assumed a 

 band-like form, with a plateau-like elevation in the center. 



The bacillus thus isolated grew with moderate rapidity upon 

 all the ordinary culture-media except potato. Upon blood-serum 

 the growth was more luxuriant and fluid than upon the solid media. 

 Upon coagulated serum the growth was somewhat dry and elevated, 

 and was frequently so loosely attached to the surface of the medium 

 as to be readily lifted up by the platinum wire. 



The growth was especially luxuriant upon sheep's blood-serum 

 to which 5 per cent, of glycerin was added. The growth upon the 

 Loffler mixture was also luxuriant. 



Upon agar-agar the growth was more meager; it was more 

 luxuriant upon glycerin agar-agar than upon plain agar-agar, the 

 bacterial mass appearing grayish and flatter than upon blood- 

 serum. The growth never extended to the water of condensation 

 to form a floating layer. 



The bacillus developed well upon gelatin after it had grown arti- 

 ficially for a number of generations and become accustomed to a 

 saprophytic existence. Upon the surface of gelatin the growth was 

 in general, similar to that upon agar-agar. In puncture cultures 

 most of the growth occurred upon the surface to form a whitish, 

 grayish, or yellowish wrinkled layer. Below the surface of the 

 gelatin the growth occurred as a thick, granular column. The 

 medium was not liquefied. 



In bouillon, growth occurred only at the bottom of the tube in the 

 form of a powdery sediment. 



