BACILLI OF MALIGNANT (EDEMA. 203 



of about 20° C. As a rule several different kinds of 

 anaerobes develop, virhioli it is very difficult to dis- 

 tinguish from one another, and therefore a puncture 

 cultivation in strong grape-sugar gelatine is made with 

 a portion of each colony. In this manner probably a 

 large number of different anaerobic bacteria will be 

 obtained, and amongst others doubtless the bacillus 

 of malignant oedema. 



This bacillus is strongly anaerobic ; in a puncture 

 cultivation it only develops at a depth of two fingers 

 breadth below the surface. Its appearance in such a 

 culture is not dissimilar to that of the Rauschbrand 

 bacillus; the gelatine is energetically liquefied, and 

 gas bubbles are produced. Even when examined with 

 the microscope they still appear similar, only the 

 bacilli of malignant oedema are more slender, and are 

 shortly rounded off at their ends ; moreover, they 

 never form such regular threads as the Eauschbrand 

 bacilli, but as a rule no more than six to ten cells join 

 together in strings. They are readily and intensely 

 stained with any aqueous aniline dye, but the pre- 

 parations are spoiled if treated according to Gram's 

 method. The cedema bacillus is distinctly motile, 

 but it is not very active ; its organs of movement are 

 distributed all over its body. In order to demonstrate 

 them it is necessary to add thirty-six drops of caustic 

 soda solution to the mordant, and for the rest to treat 

 the preparations like those of the Rauschbrand bacillus. 



