the Cultivation of the Bacillus of Tubercle. 



191 



wool, capped, and placed in an incubator, kept at a temperature of 

 35° C. At the same time, slips of potato, after thorough sterilisation, 

 were soaked in the fluids and inoculated and similarly disposed of. 



As a control experiment, the agar jelly was made with simple 

 distilled water and glycerine, charged and disposed of in the same 

 way. 



The results of these several experiments are shown on the two fol- 

 lowing tables. It will be observed that, out of the eighteen speci- 

 mens, only two (two of those from the impure cellars) failed to 

 produce growth to some extent; those that did best were the fluids 

 from the cellar in porous soil, and those condensed from the breath 

 of phthisical patients. But all kinds of: organic fluid showed growth 

 on either agar jelly or potato. 



Table III. 



No. 





Date of 

 inocula- 

 tion. 



Periods of incubation and growth (in 

 incubator at 35° C). 



2 weeks. 



4 weeks. 



8 weeks. 



12 weeks and 

 upwards. 





Media: — Agar c 5 



April 13 





X 



X X 



X X 





per cent, glycerine 













Condensed vapour 















from the following 















sources : — 













1 



Cellar in pure porous 

















April 3 



X 



X X 



XXX 



XXX 



2 





>> ?> 



X 



X X 



XXX 



X X X X 



3 





ii 10 







X 



iaint 



4 











X 





5 



Impure cellar on clay 



» j> 









blank 



6 















7 





» » 





X 



X 



X X 



8 





>) >j 





X 



X 





9 



Phthisical breath . . . 



» 3 



X 



X X 



XXX 



xxx 1 



10 





j> >> 



X 



X X 



XXX 



X X X J jj 

















There is thus some evidence that the organic fluids facilitated 

 cultivation to some extent ; experienced bacteriologists, who have 

 attempted to use simple potato or glycerine agar as the cultivating 

 medium, have assured me that failure is much more common than 

 success, and that the growth, when it does take place, is usually very 

 slow. With the organic fluids there were only two failures, and 

 growth was fairly rapid. 



