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Dr. P. F. Frankland and Mr. J. J. Fox. [June 20, 



The greatly improved methods of isolating 1 and studying micro- 

 organisms, which we now have at our command, necessitate that all 

 experiments on the chemical changes induced by micro-organisms, 

 should in future be carried out with cultivations of guaranteed 

 purity, as only under such conditions can the particular reactions be 

 referred to the agency of particular organisms. It is, moreover, essen- 

 tial that the micro-organisms themselves should be so fully described 

 and characterised as to render possible their identification by other 

 investigators, a point which has been but little attended to in the 

 past. Thus the value of the classical work of the late Albert Fitz on 

 schizomycetic fermentations is not a little diminished by the doubt 

 which attaches to the purity of his cultivation, and to the inadequate 

 description of the micro-organisms he had under observation. On 

 the other hand, of course, these objections in no way detract from the 

 importance of Fitz's work in demonstrating that particular chemical 

 changes can be effected by the agency of bacterial life. 



The present paper deals with some of the chemical changes pro- 

 duced by a micro-organism which was obtained in a state of perfect 

 purity by one of us from sheep-dung, which was found to have the 

 power of setting up fermentation in suitable solutions of several 

 carbohydrates and polyhydric alcohols. 



Isolation and Morphological Characters of the Fermenting Organism 

 (by Grace C. Franxlaxd and Percy F. Frankland). 



A minute quantity of sheep-dung was introduced into test-tubes 

 containing a sterile solution of glucose (3 per cent.) and the necessary 

 mineral ingredients, together with a small quantity of peptone. On 

 placing these tubes in the incubator at 39° C. they were found to be in 

 a state of fermentation on the following day. A minute quantity of 

 this fermenting liquid was transferred by means of a sterile platinum 

 needle into other tubes containing sterile glucose-solution, and in 

 these a similar fermentation was established. A number of further 

 generations were produced by successive transferences in the same way, 

 with the result that in each case a vigorous fermentation was set up. 



Some of the fermenting liquid from one of these tubes was then 

 submitted to plate-cultivation with gelatine-peptone in the ordinary 

 way. On the appearance of centres of growth on these plates, 

 inoculations were made from a number of the colonies into tubes 

 containing glucose-solution. On subsequently incubating these tubes 

 some entered into vigorous fermentation, and from one of these a 

 number of inoculations were made into tubes containing glucose, 

 mannite, glycerin, and other solutions to which reference will be 

 made later. The inoculated glucose, mannite, and glycerin tubes 

 all entered into fermentation on being placed in the incubator. 



