228 BACTERIOLOGY 



Vaginal bacillus. — Doderlein detected slender rods, not 

 endowed with motility, in the normal vaginal secretion 

 of the adult ; that of new-born infants is destitute of 

 bacilli. Vaginal bacilli are facultative anaerobes, growing 

 better in the absence of oxygen. Since their growth 

 does not advance except at the heat of the body they 

 cannot be cultivated to advantage upon gelatine, but upon 

 agar an exceedingly delicate film develops, consisting of fine 

 minute drops which are clear like water. The culture is 

 very sensitive to dryness and to degrees of temperature 

 lower than that of the body. In the incubator the layer 

 develops into somewhat flat elevations, which always 

 remain clear and transparent. Cultivation succeeds also 

 in bouillon, in milk, and upon blood-serum, but no growth 

 takes place on potato. The bacilli are active acid-formers, 

 and the acid contained in the vagina (D'6 per cent.) is due 

 to their vital energy, the secretion of new-born infants, 

 which is free from them, showing a neutral reaction. 



Bacillus of symptomatic anthrax (Eausehbrand) . — Sym- 

 ptomatic anthrax is a disease occurring in calves and lambs, 

 which are killed by it in two days. The cause has been found 

 by Bollinger, Thomas, Kitasato, Kitt, &c., to be bacilli met 

 with in the sero-sanguineous fluid from the subcutaneous 

 cellular tissue, which resemble cocci or have a druixistick 

 form, possess the power of automatic movement, and belong 

 to the anaerobes. The motility is due to the presence of 

 numerous flagella. The bacilli are decolorised by Gram's 

 process ; their growth liquefies gelatine. Warty irregular 

 islets appear on plate-cultures, and in high cultivations 

 development takes place along the needle-track, with gene- 

 ration of gas. The islets appear as globular cavities filled 

 with fiuid, from which whitish fibres penetrate into the 

 gelatine. On agar an active generation of gas takes 

 place at incubating hsat, and in blood-serum peculiar 



