232 BACTERIOLOGY 



motile rods whose propagation but slowly liquefies the 

 gelatine. Dark colonies form on the plate, and in thrust- 

 cultures there appears a lemon-yellow coating, which after 

 some weeks floats on the surface of the liquefied gelatine, 

 while a few greenish flakes show themselves at the bottom. 

 On agar a yellowish layer develops, formed by the 

 confluence of several globular colonies. The growth on 

 potato is more rapid, and in about two weeks the yellow 

 coating shows in the centre a greenish-yellow colour with 

 fine light venules, so that the whole resembles a vine 

 leaf. 



Bacillus xerosis. — B. Frankel, Leber, Neisser, Colomiatti, 

 and several others found in xerosis of the conjunctu-a short 

 bacilli, devoid of motility, which will not grow on gelatine 

 or potato. A veil-like film develops on agar at incubation 

 temperature, and on serum there forms a focus of rosette- 

 like figure. The bacilli are found in the white fatty-looking 

 scales on the conjunctiva, which consist of horny and fatty 

 degenerated epithelial cells, free fat drops, and the short 

 bacilli. 



Trichophyton tonsurans. — Malmsten and Gruby found 

 in the scaly accumulations of Herpes {tinea) tonsurans a 

 fungus designated as Trvlwphyton tonsurans, [which 

 occurs in the hair-follicles and hair-substance, and in the 

 epidermis]. Leslie Eoberts cultivated it upon infusion of 

 malt containing sugar and on alkaline veal-bouillon. The 

 portion of skin affected by the disease was cleansed with 

 corrosive sublimate, several short stumps of hairs were pulled 

 out with sterilised forceps, and their bulbous extremities 

 snipped off with a pair of scissors (previously sterilised at a 

 glowing heat) in such a way that they fell directly into 

 a corresponding number of flasks prepared with infusion 

 of malt or bouillon. Even in twenty-four hours colourless 

 threads radiate on all sides from the yellow hair-bulb. 



