INOCULATED COW-POX. 325 



mended that calf lymph should be tested before use upon children 

 by inoculation of the ear of a rabbit. If after two days no erysipelas 

 occurs in the inoculated rabbit, the absence of streptococci may be 

 considered as almost proved. Two or three rabbits should be inocu- 

 lated at the same time. 



The author's researches into the bacteriology of vaccine lymph 

 extended over some years. They independently confirmed and 

 extended the results obtained by Pfeiffer. Having on several 

 occasions examined vaccine lymph and vaccine pus, and failed to find 

 a specific bacterium, the author proceeded to make a more systematic 

 examination of the different species of bacteria in samples of current 

 vaccine lymph. Pure-cultivations were obtained by plate-cultivation, 

 and inoculation of the surface of nutrient agar, obUquely soUdified 

 in test tubes. Various current stocks of lymph were used in the 

 investigation. Among the specimens of calf lymph. No. 1 yielded a 

 torula. Bacillus pyocyaneus and Bacillus subtUis ; No. 2, a bacterium, a 

 variety of proteus. Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus, and yellow bacte- 

 rium ; No. 3, a bacterium, micrococcus, yellow bacterivim, and torula ; 

 No. 4, yellow micrococcus, white micrococcus, white torula, yellow 

 sarcina, white diplococcus. Staphylococcus cereus albus, and a mould 

 fungus; No. 5, yellow sarcina. Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus, yellow 

 micrococcus, white bacillus. Staphylococcus pyogenes albus, large 

 white micrococcus, yellow bacterium, and a white micrococcus. Among 

 the specimens of human vaccine lymph, No. 1 contained a white 

 micrococcus, proteus, and Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus ; No. 2, a 

 micrococcus, a tetracoccus, a white hquefying micrococcus, and a 

 yellow bacterium ; No. 3, white micrococcus, yellow micrococcus, 

 Staphylococc\is aureus and flavus, a bacterium, a white micrococcus, 

 a bacillus resembling BaciUus subtilis, Staphylococcus pyogenes cereus 

 and a brown tetracoccus. The author is familiar with these different 

 species of bacteria, and not one of them is peculiar to vaccine lymph ; 

 there was no bacterium constantly present in human and calf vaccine, 

 and there was not one which could be regarded as the contagium. 

 To sum up, most of them are well known saprophytic bacteria, and 

 some were identical with bacteria commonly found in suppuration. 

 Vaccine lymph is a most suitable cultivating medium for micro- 

 organisms, and bacteria invariably got access to the contents of the 

 vaccine vesicle. There is no evidence to be obtained by the present 

 methods of research as to the bacterial nature of the contagium of 

 vaccine lymph. Copeman obtained similar results, and thus con- 

 firmed the author's conclusions. 



Klein and Copeman have also observed minute bacilli in calf- 



