348 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
Anthrax in Swine.* * * § — Prof. St. von Eatz records an epidemic of 
anthrax which occurred among swine of the Poland-China breed in 
Hungary last year. Most of the animals were yearlings, and their most 
prominent symptom was stiffness of the neck, in consequence of swelling 
of the subcutaneous cellular tissue. The chief post-mortem appearances 
were swelling of the lymphatic glands and some enlargement of the 
spleen. Microscopical examination of the viscera showed the presence 
of anthrax bacilli, and this was confirmed by cultivations and by infection 
experiments on animals. Experiments were also made on sucking-pigs, 
of a Hungarian breed, by feeding and subcutaneous injection of virulent 
anthrax cultures. All the experiments (7) were without fatal result, 
though two animals which were injected at the back of the pharynx 
sickened for a few days. The author concludes that the porcine race 
generally is considerably resistant to anthrax, and that the American 
and English breeds sicken more easily than the Hungarian. 
Acid-Litter for Infections Diseases of Cattle.f — Herren A. Stutzer, 
E. Burri, and E. Herfeldt made a series of experiments relative to the 
action of acids on certain microbes pathogenic to animals. The bacteria 
used were those of anthrax, swine-plague, and swine-erysipelas, and these 
were tested against sulphuric acid, acetic acid, and also carbonate of 
ammonia. Positive results were obtained with the acids, and further in- 
vestigations on similar lines were made to ascertain how far litter soaked 
with acid would be preventive of infectious disease, and to what extent 
the presence of acid would have a deteriorating influence on the manure. 
Though the answers to the questions were favourable, it would seem that 
in practice the use of acid-litter should be limited to railway trucks and 
to stalls liable to infection. 
Eesistance of Bacterial Germs to Dry Heat.J — M. E. Cambier has 
made experiments relative to the resistance of bacterial germs to dry 
heat. By means of a special apparatus, a high temperature was main- 
tained with perfect constancy, however long the experiment lasted. The 
material used was dust from rooms and garden earth. The results 
showed that dry heat is an imperfect steriliser, as certain germs are able 
to resist temperatures which destroy textile fabrics. Hence dry heat 
would appear to be useless for disinfecting furniture. 
Immigration of Typhoid Bacilli into Hens’ Eggs. § — Herr Pior- 
kowski has demonstrated that typhoid bacilli are able to penetrate the 
shell of hens’ eggs and reach the interior. The bacteria were found to im- 
migrate more easily at 37° and 28° C. than at 21° C. 
Strong Natural Virus of Babies. ||— Dr. Al. Calabrese, after alluding 
to the difference in the virulence of the “ street ” or natural virus and 
the “ fixed ” or laboratory virus of hydrophobia, the former exciting 
rabies in 15—18 days, the latter in 7 days, shows that the distinction is 
not an absolute one, and that there exist in nature viruses the strength 
* Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., l te Abt., xix. (1896) pp. 305-7. 
t Op. cit., 2 te Abt., i. (1895) pp. 841-54. 
% Ann. de Micrographie, viii. (1896) pp. 49-54 (1 fig.). 
§ Arch. f. Hygiene, xxv. pp. 145-53. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., 
xix. (1896) pp. 226-7. Cf. this Journal, 1895, p. 576. 
[1 Ann. Inst. Pasteur, x. (1896) pp. 97-103. 
