68 BACTERIOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS. 
perature and will develop into bacilli. This process, 
however, is not applicable to the examination of the 
blood or morbid effusions, as the bacillus of anthrax 
does not form spores in the living body. In this it differs 
from the tetanus bacillus. 
INVESTIGATION OF A SUPPOSED CASE OF MALIGNANT 
PustTuLe. 
Requisites—1. Several glass pipettes; if cultures are 
not required one will be enough. 
2. Clean slides and cover-glasses. 
3. Bunsen’s burner or spirit lamp. 
4. Léffler’s methylene blue; also the materials for 
Gram’s staining. 
5. Balsam. 
6. Tubes of gelatin if cultivations have to be taken. 
Method.—Break off the extreme tip of one of the glass 
pipettes and insert into one of the vesicles around the 
dark papule in the centre of the lesion; it may be 
necessary to make a puncture with a sterilised needle 
before this can be done. If the fluid does not rise 
spontaneously into the pipette break off the other end 
and suck gently, watching the column of fluid so that. 
it does not get into your mouth. 
Having obtained a drop or two of the fluid exudate 
blow it out on to the surface of a clean slide and spread 
it out into a film; prepare as many of these as you can.. 
Allow them to dry, and stain one with Ldffler’s blue, 
and some by Gram’s method. 
Examine with the oil-immersion lens. Make a care- 
ful search over the films, looking for large cigarette- 
shaped bacilli, noting whether they are or are not 
