ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
557 
tonitis a streptococcus which retained its chain form in bouillon after 
repeated transferences. In fresh serum it not only did not develope, 
but degenerated in a short time ; while in sterilised serum it retained its 
vitality for more than a month. In fresh lymph, ascitic fluid, and aqueous 
humour, it developed well. On gelatin and agar the growth was white, 
and the gelatin was not liquefied. The optimum temperature was that 
of the body, though the coccus grew at room temperature. The microbe 
was stainable by all the usual methods and pigments. Subcutaneous 
injections of bouillon cultures caused only slight and transitory rise of 
temperature in rabbits and dogs, but a considerable swelling in horses. 
Intra-peritoneal injection (one horse) caused peritonitis, with rise of 
temperature to 40° C. 
Behaviour of Pathogenic Bacteria in Living Vegetable Tissue.* — 
Dr. K. Kornauth has studied the action of pathogenic bacteria on living 
vegetable tissue. Sprouting maize and peas were inoculated with 
anthrax and Streptococcus pyogenes, and the young plants tested after 
three weeks’ growth. Cultivation and infection experiments were 
negative. 
The author then made experiments to test the truth of Lemnitzsky’s 
results. The latter observer found that when plants were inoculated 
with pathogenic bacteria by introducing the microbes through a wound, 
the organisms would spread throughout the plant, or at any rate retain 
their vitality. The plants selected by the author were onions, hyacinths, 
and three species of cactus ; and the bacteria chosen were M. cinnabareus , 
M. pneumonise , Sir. pyogenes, B. coil com., Bad. prodigiosum, B. diphtherise, 
B. typhi, B. anthracis (spores and filaments), and Actinomyces. 
Snicks were made in the plants, and into the openings portions of 
cultures were introduced and the wound closed with collodion. As a 
rule the wounds healed well. After eight days, pieces were cut out, 
and animals and culture media inoculated therewith. None took, but it 
was found on microscopical examination that the anthrax had spored. 
Further experiments were then made. From these it was discovered 
that anthrax spored again, and that the spores were virulent after a 
lapse of four months. Diphtheria and pneumonia bacteria were no 
longer infectious after 48 hours, typhoid bacilli after 5 days, and Bad. 
coli com. after 8 days. M. cinnabareus and B. prodigiosum dried up, 
but were quite capable of development after four months. A further 
scries of experiments showed that mould fungi were the greatest enemies 
of pathogenic bacteria, for they were capable of destroying even anthrax 
spores. 
Vibrio tonsillaris. I — Vibrio tonsillaris was first isolated and described 
by Klein ; and Messrs. J. W. W. Stephens and R. F. W. Smith have 
recently studied the organism afresh. They find that it is non-pathogenic 
to guinea-pigs. It is easily stained by anilin dyes, but not by Gram’s 
method. It is a pleomorphic organism, cultures showing comma, semi- 
circular, and spiral forms. It is extremely mobile. By the methods of 
Ermengem and of Pittfield flagella are demonstrable, one of these being 
longer than the vibrio itself, and having 4-5 turns. 
Cultivations were made on agar, gelatin, serum-agar, potato, and in 
* Centvalbl. f. Baliteriol. u. Parasitenk., l te Abt., xix. (1896) pp. 801-5. 
t Tom. cit., pp. 929-32 (1 pi.). 
