ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
749 
media, and has successfully reinoculated these latter on animals. The 
material was obtained from a chronic inflammatory growth of the tibia, 
the alternative diagnosis being softened sarcoma. From teased out 
fresh material were obtained bright circular or oval bodies, varying in 
size from a nucleus to a liver cell, lying within, and also without giant 
cells. The bodies have a distinct double contour and frequently contain 
one or more corpuscles. Sometimes appearances were seen recalling a 
capsule. This capsulq remained unstained when cover-glass prepara- 
tions were treated with methylen-blue, carbol fuchsin, logwood, or by 
Gram’s method, though the inner doubly contoured portions were strongly 
coloured. The only successful method of preparation was to treat with 
caustic soda and examine in water. The material was inoculated on 
three animals (dogs and rabbits) and with most successful results, it 
being noted in one case at least, that the parasite was present in the 
lymphatic glands. Pure cultivations on agar, glycerin-agar, gelatin, 
blood-serum, potato-gelatin, and potato were obtained. On gelatin and 
agar the growth is white, and the gelatin is not liquefied. Potato was 
the best medium, the growth at first being dirty white, changing after- 
wards to a grey brown. The cultivation appearances differ somewhat 
from the original ; the double contour being for the most part absent. 
When reinoculated on animals, there was reversion to the original 
type. The author showed the specimens and preparations to Prof. 
Loeffler who decided that the parasite was a pathogenic yeast. In favour 
of this view are the growth on plum decoction and the development of 
carbonic acid in grape-sugar bouillon. 
Cultivating Gonococcus. — Dr. Krai * has obtained with the three 
following media for cultivating gonococcus very good results : — (1) 20 
grm. of agar, after soaking for 24 hours, are placed in a steamer and 
dissolved at a temperature of 100° C. in 650 ccm. of bouillon made with- 
out salt. After cooling down to 55° C., 5 grm. of saccharose, 2*5 grm. 
of salt, and 350 ccm. of blood-serum are added ; it is then steamed 
again for half an hour at 100°. The coagulated portions are removed, 
and the clear fluid transferred to test-tubes after filtration. (2) 2 per 
cent, agar, which has been cleared with the white of one hen’s egg per 
litre, and after cooling down to 55°, is mixed with half its volume of 
blood-serum, and then treated as in No. 1. (3) This formula contains 
the further addition of 5 per cent, glycerin and 1 per cent, saccharose, 
which are mixed in at the same time as the blood-serum. One or two 
loopfuls of the pus are placed in 4 ccm. bouillon, and after shaking 
2 loopfuls are distributed over the surface of the medium. 
Drs. Ghon and Schlagenhaufer f have used with very successful 
results ordinary pepton-agar smeared with human sterile blood for the 
isolation and continued cultivation of gonococcus. Inoculation with 
these blood-agar cultures on men gave positive results. 
By cultivating in cattle-serum-agar the authors obtained even 
better results when acid phosphate of soda was added to the medium. 
They also tried whether an acid medium were better suited to the 
coccus, and found that a useful substratum was a mixture of 2 parts 
* Arch. f. Dermat. u. Syphil., xxviii. (1894) No. 1. 
t Wien. Klin. Wochen,schr., 1893, p. 619. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasi- 
tenk., xvi. (1894) pp. 467-9. 
