244 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
tissue is directly affected by Staphylococci, while the bone-marrow is 
principally affected by Streptococci. 
Controversy on Phagocytosis.*— One of the last passages at arms 
between the supporters and opponents of the theory of phagocytosis as it is 
called by the inventor, Metschnikoff, is that^ of Hueppe and Petruschky. 
The former opines that natural immunity is closely connected with the cell- 
element of the body, although the extra- cellular influence possibly 
possesses some protective effect. Petruschky, however, points to the 
experiments of Nuttall, Buchner, himself, and many others, as showing 
that immunity is the result of biochemical processes going on in the body. 
And he even denies the efficacy of any co-operative assistance afforded 
bv the phagocytes. To this Hueppe replies that no doubt the body 
juices do exert some chemical action on bacteria ; but that this action 
is insufficient to explain the different behaviour of different species of 
animals towards bacteria, and that therefore cell action must be 
admitted to possess an important influence, and he further emphasizes his 
position by reasserting that there is no doubt that phagocytes do pick up 
living and virulent bacteria, and that recent biochemical researches 
teach us anew that we are led astray by chemical theory if we lose sight 
of the cell. 
In response to this, Petruschky addre'Ses himself merely to the 
particular point about the vitality of the*bacteria when picked up by the 
leucocytes. Living anthrax bacilli, he says, are endowed with a kind of 
stickiness, which causes them to adhere to the corpuscle. Of course, 
the chief argument against the theory of phagocytosis is that bacteria 
are disposed of by blood-serum, both under artificial and natural 
conditions. 
Bacteria in Wort and in Beer.f — Herr A. Zeidler examined three 
kinds of bacteria occurring in wort and iu beer. One of these presented 
some resemblance to Bacterium termo, but formed also chains and fila- 
ments. The wort had a celery-like odour. The two other sorts set up 
acetous fermentation ; one of them was identical with B. aceti, while 
the third did not agree with the descriptions of B. aceti pasteurianum or 
xylinum . 
Pure cultivations of these bacteria were inoculated on sterilized wort, 
wort in various stages of alcoholic fermentation, and on compressed 
pure cultivations of yeast. It was found that the termo-like bacterium 
died as soon as the alcoholic fermentation set in, and when cultivated 
on the compressed yeast the latter was rapidly decomposed. 
One of the acetic acid bacteria, especially at certain temperatures, 
set up a mucoid change in the beer, but the other had no such effect. 
Gunther’s Bacteriology.^ — The recently published manual of Dr. C. 
Gunther chiefly appeals to students of medicine, offering to them, in a 
compact form, the science and practice of Bacteriology, and specially 
* Fortschritte d. Medicin, viii. (1890) Nos. 12, 13, and 15. See Centralbl. f. 
Bakteriol . u. Parasitenk., ix. (1891) pp. 29-31. 
t Wochenschrift f. Brauerei, 1890, Nos. 47, 48. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. 
Parasitenk., ix. (1891) pp. 10-11. 
X Leipzig, 1890, 244 pp. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., ix. (1891) 
pp. 11-12. 
