ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
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tic properties or of its coagulative power. Bad. coli cultivated in media 
to which 1/800 phenylic acid or 1/400 tartaric acid had been added and 
kept for six weeks at 37°, showed many microbes, which corresponded 
morphologically and biologically with B. coli. The authors have further 
determined that B. coli is killed in a few seconds by the action of a 
temperature of 80°. 
liodet and lioux regard the typhoid bacillus as a variety of B. coli 
produced in the organism of the typhoid patient. Yet when B. coli is 
pathogenic to man, and has been the cause of a local or general infection, 
its peculiar characters are retained, and do not resemble those of typhoid 
bacillus. In typhoid fever secondary infections set up by B. coli are 
not uncommon, and these are manifested by certain symptoms. In such 
cases B. coli is demonstrable with all its characters. When passed 
through the body of sensitive animals, such as rabbits and guinea-pigs, 
the typical characters of B. coli remain unaltered. 
Dr. A. Pere * cultivated the Escherich bacillus in various albuminous 
media, and found that its growth in bouillon mixed with syntonin pepton- 
gluco ;e or dextrin was extraordinarily rapid, but slower if cane or milk 
sugar were added. The growth of Eberth’s bacillus was strikingly 
inhibited in the presence of the sugars. In albuminous media the 
reaction of the media for both bacteria was at first acid, afterwards 
becoming alkaline. In fresh meat-bouillon the growth of B. coli only 
excites an acid reaction, while in typhoid bacillus this reaction changes 
after five days to alkaline. 
The indol reaction was obtained in all those cases where B. coli 
was cultivated in presence of pepton or of albumen associated with 
peptonizing ferments. B. coli can decompose glucose and saccharose in 
peptonized media if access of air be unimpeded, while Eberth’s bacillus 
never gives the indol reaction under the above-mentioned conditions, nor 
is it able to decompose the sugars, except cane and milk sugar. 
Virulence of Streptococci. | — Dr. H. de Marbaix, after a historical 
critique of the unicist and dualist views of pathogenic streptococci, avows 
himself a unicist, on the ground that the separatists had not taken into 
account two facts which the author considers are established by his 
experiments. First, the virulence of a given streptococcus varies con- 
siderably, according to its origin. Secondly, the primitive virulence is 
subject to considerable oscillations, sometimes more, sometimes less. 
The monograph is too long to quote more than the general features 
and conclusions. The author is chiefly concerned in controverting the 
position of Von Lingelsheim and Kurth, who divided streptococci into 
three chief classes — pyogenic, erysipelatous, and scarlatinal. These 
observers attached considerable importance to the differences in the 
appearances of the cultures, and more especially of the deposits, but no 
part of their diagnosis was based on the results of injecting animals 
with the cultivations. 
On this deficiency the author lays much stress, and thinks his objec- 
tions are fatal to the dualist view. 
The conclusions arrived at are: — (1) The virulence of streptococci 
varies considerably, according to the disease from which it comes. 
* Ann. Inst. Pasteur, vi. 1892, No. 7. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., 
xiii. (1893) p. 285. f La Cellule, viii. (1892) pp. 257-301. 
