100 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
twenty-seven houses in which cases of enteric fever had occurred, found 
Bacterium coli thirteen times, the typhoid bacillus five times, and both of 
them together twice. In seven instances these bacteria were not dis- 
covered, though the water contained many germs. In two specimens 
there were few organisms. 
Asa rough standard of comparison the author gives the result of 
an examination of the water of twenty houses in which enteric fever had 
not occurred. Only a few organisms were found in thirteen instances ; in 
six cases there were many ; and once Bacterium coli , together with some 
others, was found. 
Streptococcus longus in Drinking-Water.* — Dr. Landmann ex- 
amined water from a well suspected of containing diphtheria bacilli, and 
found therein a Streptococcus fatal to mice. On gelatin plates inocu- 
lated with 1, 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8 ccm. of the water, only saprophytes were 
found, but on agar plates inoculated with the sediment obtained by 
centrifuging, colonies of streptococci developed. The chain consisted of 
from three to six cells. Alkaline sugar-bouillon became turbid in 24 hours, 
and long chains of 100 links or more were formed. 0*3 ccm. of this 
cultivation killed mice in from 5-8 days, though a minority of the 
animals survived. 
The samples were obtained without previously pumping off the 
water, and the author advises this procedure in cases of suspected well 
infection. 
Capsule Bacillus of Ozaena.f — Sig. Strazza isolated from the secre- 
tion on the nasal mucosa of persons suffering from ozaena a capsule 
bacillus. It developes in the usual media, does not liquefy gelatin, 
is a facultative anaerobe, immobile, and does not develope at tempera- 
tures lower than 10°. If imperfectly stained, a clear space resembling 
a spore remains in the middle, but this disappears if alkaline methylen- 
blue or strong aqueous solution of fuchsin be used. The organism is 
pathogenic to guinea-pigs, which die in from 24-48 hours. Pure culti- 
vations of the bacillus are odourless, but if contaminated with the organ- 
isms found in the secretion they do smell. 
The author found this bacillus in twenty-five cases of ozaena, usually 
in conjunction with Staphylococci and Streptococci. 
Pfeiffer’s Influenza Bacillus.^ — Dr. R. Pfeiffer gives in full an 
account of his researches on influenza. Considering that it was more 
probable that the exciting cause would be more easily discovered in the 
discharge from the lungs than in that from the nasopharyngeal mucosa, 
cases with copious secretion were selected and the sputum spread out 
in sterilized glass capsules. Particles indicating the presence of pus 
were then selected for examination. The best stains were found to be 
Loeffler’s methylen-blue solution and dilute phenol-fuchsin. In the 
latter, which gave the best results, the preparations were stained for 
* Deutsche Med. Wochenschr., 1893. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., 
xiv. (1893) p. 431. 
t Geneva, 1893. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., xiv. (1893) p. 327. 
X Zeitschr. f. Hygiene u. Infektions., xiii. (1893) pp. 357-85 (8 pis.). See Cen- 
tralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., xiii. (1893) pp. 528-31. Cf. this Journal, 1893, 
p. 776. 
