ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
567 
the opening of the tubercle, may be cultivated as such in artificial 
nutrient soil. When the tubercle breaks up, these return to the soil, 
form spores, and enter the plant again in the spring as bacilli. 
Pleomorphism of the Tubercle Bacillus.* — Dr. H. Bruns has 
observed in two cultures of tubercle bacillus appearances which are 
indicative of pleomorphism, and he gives eight figures descriptive of 
the aspect presented by the micro-organism in one preparation. The 
appearances depicted represent the tubercle bacillus as usually seen, 
long filaments of variable thickness, filaments exhibiting well marked 
branchings, the branches coming off at right angles from their parent 
stem, and others showing club-shaped swellings and bulgings. In many 
of the rodlets the bulgings were terminal or central, and both from their 
position and appearance suggested the notion of being spores. The 
spore notion was supported by the fact that they gave the Neisser spore 
reaction ; though, on the other hand, cultures containing these spore-like 
bodies were killed by heating them for 10 minutes to 80°. 
The cultures were 5-6 months old and of human origin. They were 
kept constantly at a temperature ranging from 37°-37 0, 5, and this of 
itself precludes the objection of the appearances being due to degenera- 
tion. The macroscopical appearances of the cultures were exactly like 
the ordinary growths of tubercle, and it is -worthy of remark that several 
other cultures kept under the same conditions, and presumably of the 
same origin, did not present pleomorphic appearances. 
Bacteria of the Healthy Eye.f — Dr. Lachowicz examined 63 healthy 
conjunctivas (32 persons), and only in 19 eyes (4 double and 11 single) 
were bacteria found. In 11 persons they were cocci ; in 4, bacilli. The 
organisms cultivated were Staphylococcus pyogenes alhus, Micrococcus 
candicans, Streptococcus pyogenes , Sarcina lutea, Micrococcus coronatus , 
Bac. sporiferus Bujwid, Bac. Jluorescens putidus , Bac. xerosis conjunctive?, 
Micrococcus cereus alhus. 
In order to test the influence of these organisms on the healthy 
human eye, the author inoculated his own conjunctiva, having first 
ascertained that it was sterile, with the species mentioned except Str. 
pyogenes , B. xerosis conjunctive , Sarcina lutea. The results were quite 
negative. 
Green-producing Chromogenic Micro-organisms in Wool.J — Prof. 
T. P. Anderson Stuart had submitted to him a parcel of wool with green 
patches. On submitting this wool to microscopical examination, little, 
highly refracting bodies were seen on the surface of the hair. Sus- 
pecting that they were micro-organisms of some sort, Prof. Stuart set 
about cultivating them, if possible. After some time he succeeded in 
obtaining an abundant crop of an organism which tinted the culture 
medium with the exact colour of the wool, could be transferred from one 
artificial culture medium to another, and to normal wool itself. It 
everywhere provides the same beautiful green pigment. The organism 
is a Bacillus, and there -were found associated with it varying quantities 
of a Streptococcus and a large Coccus. It is the Bacillus which produces 
* Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., l te Abt., xvii. (1895) pp. 817-26 (8 figs.). 
t Arch. f. Augenheilkunde, xxx. (1895) p. 256. 
j Proc. Roy. Soc. N. S. Wales, 1895, pp. 320-2. 
2 p 2 
