THE BACILLUS OF TETANUS. 



379 



■PTO. 82. 



of gas. Neither agar-agar nor blood-serum are lique 

 fied by its growth. 



The addition to the media of 

 from 1.5 to 2 per cent, of glucose, 

 0.1 per cent, of indigo-sodium- 

 sulphate, or 5 per cent, by volume 

 of blue litmus tincture favors its 

 growth. 



It grows well in alkaline bouil- 

 lon under an atmosphere of hy- 

 drogen. 



It may be cultivated through 

 numerous generations under arti- 

 ficial conditions without loss of 

 virulence. 



Appearance of the colonies. The 

 colonies on gelatin under an at- 

 mosphere of hydrogen have, in 

 their early stages, somewhat the 

 appearance of the common bacillus 

 subtilis, viz., they have a dense, 

 felt-like centre surrounded by a 

 fringe of delicate radii. The 

 liquefaction is so slow that the 

 appearance is retained for a rela- 

 tively long time, but eventually 

 becomes altered. In very old 

 colonies the entire mass is made 

 up of a number of distinct threads 

 that give to it the appearance of a 

 common mould. (Sec Fig. 82.) 



In stab cultures. In stab cul- 

 tures made in tubes about three-quarters filled with 

 gelatin, growth begins at about 1.5 to 3 cm. below the 



Colonies of the tetanus 

 bacillus four days old, made 

 by distributing the organ- 

 isms through a tube nearly 

 tilled with glucose-gelatin. 

 Cultivation under an at- 

 mosphere of hydrogen. 

 (From Feankel and 



PFEIFrER ) 



