ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 377 
Putrefactive Processes in large Intestine, and Micro-organisms 
which induce it.* — Dr. Zumft describes experiments made for the pur- 
pose of ascertaining how the decomposition of albuminoid substances 
would be affected in vitro by means of a mixture of microbes such as 
normally inhabit the human colon. The general plan was to roughly 
imitate the natural conditions, and with this intent an infusion of finely 
chopped meat was, after sterilization, inoculated with some fresh 
excrement, rendered semi-liquid by mixing it with 1 ccm. of water. The 
flask was then emptied of air, filled with carbonic acid, and then in- 
cubated at the body temperature. 
The chief result from these experiments appears to be that putrefac- 
tive processes take place slowly in the absence of air and presence of 
carbonic acid. After several days — sometimes after several weeks — all 
the material is not decomposed. This is in conformity with the fact that 
all the fermentations proceed more slowly without than in the presence 
of air. 
From among these putrefactive bacteria the author isolated a facul- 
tative anaerobic microbe capable of decomposing albumen and sugar in 
the presence or absence of air. It forms little round colonies in gelatin 
and gelose. In hanging drops the cells appeared to be mobile. The 
bacterium was found to be pleomorphic, and exhibited great variation in 
size. It was easily stained by anilin dyes, but was decolorized by 
Gram’s method. 
Gas-forming Bacillus from Urine in Cystitis.f — Dr. W. Schow has 
isolated a micro-organism which he calls Coccobacillus aerogenes vesicse , 
from a case of compression myelitis. There was incontinence, cystitis, 
and the urine had a peculiar sulphurous odour. The reaction was 
faintly acid, and the deposit contained bladder epithelium, white blood- 
corpuscles, and some bacteria. The latter consisted of cocci and short 
thickish rodlets, stainable with the usual anilin dyes and not decolorized 
by Gram’s method. 
The micro-organism was cultivated on plates by mixing some urine 
with meat-peptone-gelatin. 
The colonies were small, round, and yellow. The gelatin was not 
liquefied, and the most characteristic result was the formation of a con- 
siderable quantity of gas, which, from analysis, appeared to be C0 2 . 
That there was some causative connection between the cystitis and 
this bacterium was probable, from only one other micro-organism being 
found ; but this was demonstrated to be an accident and unconnected 
with the peculiar odour. 
Coccobacillus aerogenes vesicse is not pyogenic, as experiments on 
animals showed. 
The author’s account does not shed much light on the sulphurous 
odour — the special inducement to examine the urine bacteriologically. 
Bactericidal Action of Blood-serum.J — When normal blood-serum, 
says Prof. H. Buchner, is heated up to 55° it loses (as is well known) 
its germicidal influence, and becomes inactive. Three hypotheses as to 
* Arch. Sci. Biol. Inst. Imp. de Med. Exp. a St. Pctersb., i. (1892) pp. 497-516. 
t Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasiteuk., xii. (1892) pp. 715-9. 
+ Tom. cit., pp. 855-8. 
