528 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
time in tlie 5-10 per cent, mixture. In the 0*1 per cent, the typhoid 
bacilli were killed. While St. aureus was weakened Byocyaneus and 
B. coli were unaffected. The 0*02 per cent, gallanol bouillon had no 
effect. Experiments on rabbits and guinea-pigs inoculated with 5-10 
per cent, gallanol cultivations, confirmed the death of the micro- 
organisms and showed that the medium was harmless. Inoculations 
with 0 * 02 per cent, gallanol bouillon showed that the vitality of the 
microbes was unaffected, though their virulence was diminished. On 
account of its harmlessness the authors recommend gallanol for para- 
sitic skin diseases. 
Testing Resistance of Bacterium coli commune to Drying.* — Dr. 
H. W alliczek has made a series of experiments relative to the resistance 
of Bacterium coli commune to drying. 
(1) As control experiments pieces of filter-paper saturated with 
bacterial cultivations were placed for 5 minutes in sterile water, and 
then sown in gelatin tubes. Many thousands of colonies grew up. 
(2) Infected pieces of paper were dried in vacuo by means of the 
air-pump. This took about 30 minutes. Thereupon they were placed 
in sterile water for 5 minutes and afterwards in gelatin. In a series of 
tour, 6, 11, 17, and 58 colonies developed. 
(3) Pieces of paper were dried under the air-pump, the tap re- 
maining open so that fresh air was constantly aspirated. They dried 
in 45 minutes. 0, 28, 45, 78, and more than 1000 colonies grew up. 
(4) Pieces of filter paper were placed in a sterile capsule. All were 
dry in 18 hours. 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 developed. 
(5) Infected papers were dried in an exsiccator over sulphuric acid. 
All were dry in 17 hours. 0,0, 1, 10, and 25 colonies grew. 
The author concludes from the foregoing experiments that B. coli 
commune is killed by drying. 
Method for Inoculating Gelatin Plates. | — Dr. W. Kruse finds that 
the most practical and successful way of inoculating gelatin plates is to 
brush them over with an ordinary camel’s-hair brush dipped in the fluid 
to be examined. The procedure is of great use when examining water 
for typhoid bacilli, but it has been successfully used for demonstrating 
diphtheria and influenza bacilli, various streptococci, and Gonococcus. 
(It might be cheaper and safer to use strips of sterilized blotting 
paper.) 
Technique of Disinfection Experiments.! — Dr. H. Walliczek, after 
pointing out the disadvantages of silk, filter and cover-glasses as 
recipients of bacteria in disinfection experiments, suggests the use of 
material made out of glass-wool. Such a substratum would allow of 
the equal distribution of the bacteria, the disinfectant could be easily 
removed, and would offer a suitable surface upon which the infection- 
material could be properly disposed, and that too without drying. In 
default of the general adoption of glass-wool for disinfection experiments, 
he suggests that the following rules should be adhered to. If the bacteria 
are resistant to drying and no .indifferent medium is known which 
paralyses the action of the disinfectant, then cover-glasses should be 
* Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., xv. (1894) pp. 949-50. 
f Tom. cit., pp. 419-21. J Tom. cit., pp. 947-9. 
