March 31, 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



493 



more intimate connection with suppuration 

 under certain conditions than had been 

 supposed. For this reason specimens of 

 pus were obtained in the hospital from 

 thirty cases in the surgical wards. Aside 

 from the ordinary pyogenic organisms— as 

 the staphylococci, streptococci and Bacillus 

 pyocyaneus — bacillus eoli was encountered 

 several times ; an organism belonging to the 

 group of pseudo-diphtheria bacilli and also 

 an organism belonging to the proteus group 

 were encountered several times^ so that it 

 appeared probable that they were not acci- 

 dental contaminations of the pus. The 

 extent to which these organisms are capable 

 of producing suppurations when acting 

 alone has not been fully worked out. 

 Neither has their effect upon the processes 

 of the pyogenic organisms been studied 

 with sufficient detail to make positive state- 

 ments. The frequency, however, with 

 which these organisms were encountered in 

 the conditions studied seemed to warrant 

 a preliminary report upon the studies so 

 far made. 



The Bacteriology of Some Railroad Water 

 Supplies: L. H. Pammel, Iowa College 

 of Agriculture. 



The author gave an account of an ex- 

 amination of three water supplies of rail- 

 roads. Generally speaking, the newer 

 wells along the line of the C. & N. W. 

 R. R. are deep wells, 125-150 feet deep. 

 In some cases the Iowa railroads depend 

 on city water supplies. It is interesting 

 to note that in the few cases where the city 

 water supplies have been \ised, B. coli com- 

 munis has been found. Several new spe- 

 cies have been found, among them a red 

 Planosarcina. The average number of 

 bacteria varies from 40-150, though in 

 some cases somewhat higher. Best results 

 have been obtained with litmus lactose 

 agar; the gelatine has been unsatisfac- 

 tory. 



Changes in the Bacterial Content of Water 

 in Passing Through a Distributing 

 Reservoir: B. 6. Philbrick, Metro- 

 politan Water and Sewage Board, Bos- 

 ton, Mass. 



The data reported represent routine 

 weekly analysis, covering a period of ten 

 years, of the influent and effluent streams 

 of Chestnut Hill Reservoir. The number 

 of bacteria in the influent is small, only 

 220 on the average, and is not markedly 

 affected by rainfall, since the water experi- 

 ences considerable storage and sedimenta- 

 tion before it reaches that point. The 

 general average of bacteria in the effluent 

 is 179, 82 per cent, of the influent figure, 

 but the ratio for different years varies 

 from 50 per cent, to 123 per cent. Con- 

 sidering the monthly average for ten years, 

 an increase during passage through the 

 reservoir is noted at the time of the spring 

 and fall overturns bringing the ratio of 

 effluent to influent up to 123 per cent, for 

 April and 134 per cent, for September. 



During the winter the ratio decreases 

 from 96 per cent, in December to 71 per 

 cent, in March and after the spring over- 

 turn it rises from 69 per cent, to 95 per 

 cent, in August. It appears that in a 

 reservoir receiving water fairly low in 

 bacteria the growth at the bottom of the 

 reservoir itself and the mixture of its vari- 

 ous layers, are the main factors in deter- 

 mining the effluent count. 



The New Bacteriological Laboratory of 

 the Boston Board of Health. B. R. 



RiCKARDS. 



A detailed description of the new labora- 

 tory including several special features such 

 as (1) chute leading to an incubator to 

 receive cultures sent after the laboratory 

 is closed, (2) open trough system of plumb- 

 ing, (3) combination draining board and 

 tray for the transportation of glassware 

 from one part of the laboratoiy to another. 



