ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
571 
Water Bacteria resembling the Bacilli of Typhoid.* — Dr. A. del 
Rio cultivated from Spree and Havel water three species of bacteria, the 
colonies of which had considerable resemblance to those of Bad. coli 
and the bacillus of typhoid. The first was a short plump bacillus with- 
out movement, and usually occurring in pairs. On ordinary media it 
throve well at the room temperature, but at 37° C. its growth was 
weaker. The second was a slender bacillus endowed with lively move- 
ments which only grew well at the room temperature. The third was a 
medium sized coccus, occurring singly or in short chains, and this grew 
well at the room temperature, but less well when incubated. The dif- 
ferentiation of these organisms from the typhoid bacillus, and from 
Bad. coli commune , was found to be difficult on gelatin plates ; but by 
transferring the gelatin colonies to saccharated media in fermentation 
flasks they were easily distinguished. When the flasks were kept at the 
room temperature, development occurred only in those parts of the 
medium to which there was free access of oxygen. When the flasks 
were incubated no growth took place. Under both these conditions the 
opposite occurs with B. coli commune and with the typhoid bacillus. 
Bacteriology of Gastric Fermentation.! — Dr. J. Kaufmann describes 
a case in which, notwithstanding the presence of free hydrochloric acid 
in increased quantity at the height of digestion, a bacterial fermentation 
took place. Bacteriological examination of the gastric contents was 
conducted on acid 2 per cent, agar plates at 37°, and eight different 
microbes were isolated ; (1) yellow Sarcina ; (2) white yeast ; (3) Micro- 
coccus aurantiacus ; (4) Staphylococcus cereus albus ; (5) Bacillus subtilis ; 
(6) B. ramosus ; (7) thick short bacillus; (8) short rodlet resembling 
coli commune. 
The presence of most of the foregoing organisms is not considered 
surprising, but that of the rodlet resembling coli commune is so, for 
the author was able to show that it could not exist in normal gastric 
juice with free HC1. 
An explanation on the vague basis of the existence of atony of the 
stomach and a “ circulus vitiosus ” is then given. 
Present Position of the Bacteriology of Cholera.! — During the 
past few years, study of the cholera question has taught us, says Dr. M. 
Gruber, that the problem of the aetiology of cholera is not so simple as 
it first appeared. Though there is no doubt that the cases of Asiatic 
cholera are characterised by the presence of the comma bacillus in the 
dejecta, and that these vibrios are at least participators in the production 
of the disease, yet a something else is necessary, a something which 
influences either the production or the absorption of the poison. Perhaps 
this may be another germ which has hitherto escaped observation. A 
speciaj. difficulty arises from the resemblance between the cholera vibrio 
and the numerous other vibrios, both as to their cultivation characters 
and their microscopical appearance ; and according to the author, many 
* Arch. f. Hygiene, xxii. (1895) p. 91. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., 
l te Abt., xvii. (1895) p. 528. 
f Berlin. Klin. Wochenschr., 1895, Nos. 6 and 7. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. 
Parasitenk., l te Abt., xvii. (1895) pp. 647-8. 
X Munch. Med. Wochenschr., 1895, Nos. 13 and 14. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. 
u. Parasitenk., l te Abt., xvii. (1895) pp. 762-3. 
