ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
613 
Pyelonephritis due to Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus.* — M. Del- 
pech describes a case of primary pyelonephritis in a girl 17 years of 
age. There was pain in the right lumbar region, temperature 38°-39°, 
marked polyuria, and during the first days of the illness pus in the 
urine. These symptoms disappeared suddenly after a duration of a 
fortnight. During convalescence small quantities of albumen were 
present in the urine. The bacteriological examination, conducted by 
Netter, showed the presence of St. pyogenes aureus and the absence of 
other pyogenic organisms. 
Bacillus typhi murium and Caucasian Field Mice.| — Dr. M. 
Lunkewitsch has made some practical experiments with Bacillus typhi 
murium Loffler on the Caucasian field mouse, and found that this 
micro-organism is pathogenic to the Caucasian Arvicola arvalis , killing it 
quickly and surely. The procedure advised is to saturate bread with 
infected straw infusion, one agar tube cultivation being mixed with one 
litre of the infusion. Bac . typhi murium is also pathogenic to house 
mice, but to a much less marked degree, though when subcutaneously 
injected the animals died in 24 hours. The death of house mice was 
noticed to be preceded some three or four days before death by paresis 
of the hind legs and later of the fore limbs. 
Microbes in Normal Urethra of Women. J — Dr. N. Gawronsky 
records the result of a large number of examinations of the healthy 
female urethra. Out of sixty-two cases there were positive results in 
fifteen, i. e. 24 per cent. ; Streptococcus pyogenes , three times ; Staphylo- 
coccus pyogenes aureus , eight times ; St. pyogenes albus , once ; Bad. 
tholoeideum Gessner, once; Bact. coli commune , twice. The occurrence 
of the last is noteworthy, as its existence in cases of cystitis is well 
known. The author’s negative results are also interesting, none being 
found in some cases of para- and perimetritis, in one case diagnosed as 
gonorrhoea, or in three cases of pregnancy. 
Pathogenic Action of Bacillus pyocyaneus on Human Beings.§ — 
Dr. Kossel finds, from observations made with pus from the middle ear, 
that Bacillus pyocyaneus , while mostly harmless to adults, is dangerous 
to children and more so to infants. B. pyocyaneus was found eight times 
out of fifty-two examinations of pus in the middle ear of infants. 
With regard to skin wounds, B. pyocyaneus is not primarily harmful, 
though it may become so secondarily. In children, by gaining access to 
the circulation, it may excite meningitis, or be pathogenic indirectly from 
absorption of its metabolic poisonous products. 
Urobacillus liquefaciens septicus.|j — M. D. Chapman, in a contri- 
bution to the pathogenesis of urinary infection, chiefly discusses a 
particular organism, Urobacillus liquefaciens septicus. The vitality of this 
organism is considerable, and its pathogenic properties great. Mice die 
in a short time, and rabbits barely survive a week. When injected sub- 
cutaneously or into the peritoneal sac, suppuration takes place almost 
, * Bull. Med., 1892, p. 1095. See Bot. Centralbl., 1894, Beihefte, p. 156. 
f Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., xv. (1894) pp. 845-6. 
% Munchener Med. Wochenschr., 1894, No. 11. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. 
Parasitenk., xvi. (1894) p. 84. 
§ Zeitschr. f. Hygiene u. Infektions., xvi. pp. 368-72. See Centralbl. f. Bak- 
teriol. u. Parasitenk., xvi. (1894) p. 33. 
[| These, Montpellier, 1893, pp. 65. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., 
xvi. (1894) p. 38. 
