334 BACTERIOLOGY. 



From what has been said we see that the spirillum 

 of Asiatic cholera, while possessing the power of pro- 

 ducing in human beings one of the most rapidly fatal 

 forms of disease with which we are acquainted, is still 

 one of the least resistant of the pathogenic organisms 

 known to us. Under conditions most favorable to its 

 growth its development is self-limited ; it is conspicu- 

 ously susceptible to acids, alkalies, other chemical disin- 

 fectants, and heat ; but when partly dried upon clothing, 

 food, or other objects, it may retain its vitality for a rela- 

 tively long period of time, and it is more than probable 

 that it is in this way that the disease is often carried 

 from points in which it is epidemic or endemic into 

 localities that are free from the disease. 



THE DIAGNOSIS OF ASIATIC CHOLERA BY BACTERIO- 

 LOGICAL METHODS. 



Because of the manifold channels that are open for 

 the dissemination of this disease it is of the utmost 

 importance that its true nature should be recognized as 

 quickly as possible, for with every moment of delay in 

 its recognition opportunities for its spread are multi- 

 plying. It is essential, therefore, when employing bac- 

 teriological means in making the diagnosis, to bear in 

 mind those biological and morphological features of the 

 organism that appear most quickly under artificial 

 methods of cultivation, and which, at the same, time 

 may be considered as characteristic of it, viz., its peculiar 

 morphology and grouping ; the much greater rapidity 

 of its growth over that of other bacteria with which it 

 may be associated ; the characteristic appearance of its 

 colonies on gelatin-plates and of its growth in stab 



