1887.] Prof. C. Ewart on Bacteria in Lymph, &c., of Fish. 269 
means of cultivations, they convinced themselves that bacteria were 
always present in the living tissues. 
It will be instructive to quote one of their culture experiments. 
The second experiment mentioned in the paper of the 9th July is 
as follows : — 
“Le 19 Juin, on econche avec des ciseaux rougis la queue d’un 
gros Squale venant de lam er. On la trempe pendant soixante-dix 
secondes dans un bain de paraffine a 218, puis on Texpose quelque 
instants a la flamme d’une lampe de maniere a brhler la peripherie. 
Le fragment ainsi sterilize quant h sa surface est plonge rapidment 
dans un flacon rempli de paraffine liquide. Flacon et paraffine 
ont 6te sterilizes au prealable par une temperature de 160° prolongee 
pendent deux heures et demie, et Tuair n’a pu y rentrer pendant 
le refroidissement qu’a travers un tampon d’ouate. Le flacon 
n’est reste librement a l’air que pendant le temps strictement 
necessaire pour introduire le poisson. 
“ Le 29 Juin la chair musculaire n’a ancune odeur. Elle pre- 
sente l’aspect et l’odeur du poisson frais. Elle contient des Bacilles 
extremement nombreux, peu mobiles.” 
From analogous experiments I have obtained somewhat different 
results. For example, trout, roach, and eels which were gutted 
immediately after death and introduced for a short time into a 5 per 
cent, solution of phenol, and then transferred into sterilised water, 
remained unchanged for weeks. When examined, dead bacteria 
were found on the surface of the skin and in the peritoneal lining 
of the body-cavity, but no living bacteria could be detected in the 
muscles, nor did they appear in cultivations into which fragments 
of muscle had been introduced. As was anticipated, when the fish 
were placed in ordinary water, putrefaction at once set in. The 
same results were gained by varying the experiment. A trout was 
killed, and a strip of muscle 5 inches in length was removed under 
antiseptic precautions from one side, and introduced into a flask of 
sterilised water. The flask was kept for five days at a temperature 
of 65° F. without any change taking place in the muscular fibres, 
or any bacteria making their appearance either in the fibres or 
in the water. 
Hence in the meantime it may be taken for granted that while 
bacteria exist in the tissues of some fish even at a comparatively 
