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SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
Eosinophilous Cells'of Gonorrhoeal Pus.* — Dr. G. Caneva stains cover- 
glass preparations of gonorrhoeal discharge with a saturated solution 
of eosin, and in this way is able to distinguish two kinds of eosinophilous 
elements, the difference consisting in the size of the granules. The 
first kind of eosinophilous cell is of medium size, usually mononuclear, 
and the granules are about the size of gonococci. These are of rare 
occurrence in the acute form of gonorrhoea. The second sort of eosino- 
philous cell contains very fine granules, and the cell may be mono- or 
polynuclear. In the acute form these cells predominate. If the eosin 
stain is followed by saturated methylen-blue solution the microscopical 
picture is altered. The rose-red gonococci now become blue and are 
easily distinguished from the first described granules. If the methylen- 
blue solution be allowed to act longer than five minutes, the second kind 
of granules become decolorized and the decoloration is hastened by the 
addition of phenol or alcohol to the staining solution. The gonococci 
are invariably found in the eosinophilous cells of the second kind and 
never in the first. In cases of chronic gonorrhoea the number of cells of 
the first kind and of free gonococci increases. The latter are stainable 
by Gram’s method if, instead of using alcohol as a decolorizer, anilin 
oil be mixed with an equal volume of xylol or oil of cloves. 
Media for distinguishing between Bacillus typhi abdominalis and 
Bacillus coli communis.t — Herr Marpmann has found that media to 
which reduced pigments have been added are extremely suitable for 
diagnosis, anol has applied this method for distinguishing between 
Bacillus typhi abdominalis and Bacillus coli communis. In the first series 
1-grm. of fuchsin is dissolved in 100 parts of water and decolorized with 
sodium bisulphite solution, and after having been mixed with 2 per cent, 
agar or gelatin is placed in test-tubes and sterilized. The red colour 
reappears on the addition of an aldehyde, and as the same reaction occurs 
after inoculation with certain cultures, it would seem to follow that these 
microbes produce aldehyde. 
In the second series malachite-green is used instead of fuchsin, and 
this pigment appears to be more suitable for the purpose, as with fuchsin 
it is necessary to add a greater quantity of bisulphite, which is some- 
times detrimental to cultures. Malachite-green, which in itself is very 
sensitive, is better used in conjunction with agar than with gelatin, and 
affords a means of discriminating between different species of bacteria by 
the colour of the growth, that of B. typhosus being dark green, and that 
from B. coli com. being greyish white. Vibrio cholerse, V. Metchnihovi, 
Bac. liquefaciens , B. typh. murium , are green, while Spirillum rubrum and 
some cocci and Saccharomycetes are colourless. 
In a third series agar was blackened by‘means of indulin or nigrosin, 
aqueous solutions of these pigments being added until the agar became 
non-transparent. On such media micro-organisms grew well, and differ- 
ences were observable between the typhoid-like bacteria. 
Staining Anthrax. J — Dr. Johne gives a method for staining the 
gelatinous sheath of anthrax bacilli, and the procedure is as follows : — 
* La Riforma Med., 1894, No. 25. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., 
xvi. (1894) p. 654. f Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., xvi. (1894) pp. 817-20. 
% Deutsche Tierarztliche Wochensch., 1894, No. 35. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. 
u. Parasitenk., xvi. (1894) p. 871. 
