THE JOURNAL 



OF THE 



CINCINNATI SOCIETY OF NATURAL ITOE 



VOL. V. CINCINNATI, DECEMBER, 1882. No. 4. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 



Tuesday Evening, October 3, 1882. 



Dr. R. M. Byrnes, President, in the ehair. Present, 20 members. 



Prof. A. G. Wetherby gave an account of the botany and geology of 

 Roan Mountain, North Carolina. 



Joseph F. James read a paper upon parasitic plants. 



Dr. F. W. Langdon, previous to exhibiting specimens of the Bacil- 

 lus anthracis under the microscope, made a few remarks on the Bac- 

 teria in general, which, he stated, were usually classed as fungi, and 

 divided by botanists into four main groups, namely: (I) Sphaero- 

 bacteria or spherical bacteria (e.g. Micrococcus); (2) Micro-bacteria, 

 or short rod-like bacteria (e.g. Bacterium); (3) Desmo-bacteria, or 

 long rod like bacteria (e.g. Bacillus); (4) Spiro-bacteria, or spiral 

 bacteria (e.g. Spirillum). He stated that, in accordance with their 

 supposed role, in the production of various infective diseases and 

 fermentations, the}' might be divided, for practical purposes, into two 

 groups, namely: (1) pathogenic, or disease-producing bacteria; and 

 (2) beneficial bacteria; the bacteria of fermentation and putrefaction, 

 being placed in the second group. Apropos of the benefits derived 

 from the bacteria of putrefaction, he cited a well known French author 

 (Magnin), who calls attention to the fact that organic matter, once 

 dead, must neeessarilv undergo certain chemical changes before it 

 can again enter into the stream of life; and it is the various bacterial 

 organisms which are chiefly or entirely instrumental in bringing about 

 these changes. Consequently, were the bacteria to all become anni- 

 hilated, the surface of the earth would be encumbered everywhere 

 with the bodies of dead animals and plants which had failed to decay; 

 finally, all organic matter would be thus locked up, so to speak, and 

 useless to succeeding generations; or, to use the words of the above 

 named author, "it may be said that it is, thanks to them (the bacteria), 

 that the continuation of life is possible on the surface of the globe." 



Microscopical sections of lung tissue containing the Bacillus 

 anthracis, the " germ" of Anthrax or Splenic fever, were then exhibited 



