542 



Dr. P. F. Frankland. 



[June 10,. 



of the composition recorded, their behaviour in this medium present- 

 ing a very marked contrast to that in deep well and filtered Thames 

 water. 



Experiments with Finkler-Prior s Comma Spirillum. 



Similar experiments to those described above were also made with 

 this organism. These experiments show that although it possesses 

 such far greater vital activity in gelatine cultures than Koch's comma 

 Spirillum, yet when introduced into different kinds of water, including 

 sewage, its vitality is so rapidly lost that in no single instance have I 

 been able to demonstrate its presence even after twenty-four hours, 

 still less to obtain evidence of any multiplication in these media. In 

 fact so perishable does this organism appear to be when placed in water, 

 that I have very frequently been unable to demonstrate its presence 

 even on the day of inoculation, whilst with the Bacillus pyocyaneus I 

 have never failed in this manner, and with the comma Spirillum only 

 rarely. The following results will serve to illustrate how rapidly this 

 organism loses its vitality in waters of various kinds : — 



FinMer-Prior' s Spirillum in Distilled Water. 

 Number of Colonies obtained from 1 c.c. 





1st Day. 



3rd Day. 



5th Day. 



6th Day. 



20th Day. 



12,000 

 4,500 





 















„ 2 





Finkler-Prior' s Spirillum in Beep Well-water and Filtered Thames 



Water. 



Number of Colonies obtained from 1 c.c. 



No. 1~) f 

 „ 2 Deep | 

 „ 3 Y well- -{ 

 „ 4 water. 

 „ 5J I 

 R f Filtered 1 

 » Thames \ 

 " ' L water J 



1st Day. 



2nd Day. 



4th Day. 



5 th Day. 



9th Day. 



300 

 300 

 300 

 17,450 

 17,450 



12,000 

 12,000 





 

 

 

 





 



MM ooo 



o o o o 1 1 1 



o o o o 1 1 1 



Note. — Nos. 3, 5, and 7 were placed in the incubator. 



