ti4d 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
coccus (31. acidi jparalactici) which fermented grape-sugar, but the 
principal product of which was not optically inactive, but turned 
polarized light to the right, states that from the human intestine he has 
isolated no less than six microbes capable of fermenting sugar, and three 
of these form optically active acids. Now Schardinger has isolated from 
water a short bacterium which decomposes cane sugar and dextrose with 
the formation of lactic acid, having all the chemical properties of para- 
lactic acid and forming salts with the same composition, e. g. the zinc 
salt crystallizes with two molecules of H 2 0, and the calcium salt with 
four and a half molecules. On the other hand the acid and its salts 
behave differently from ordinary paralactic acid to polarized light, for 
while the latter turns the plane to the right and its salts to the left, 
Schardinger’s acid turns the plane to the left and its salts to the right. 
Since most of the potential and essential anaerobes which decompose 
carbohydrates form varying quantities of lactic acid, it becomes necessary 
in bacterio-chemical investigations to determine not only that lactic acid 
is produced, but to ascertain whether this acid be optically inactive 
or whether it turns the plane to the right or the left. The author 
relates how he isolated from the human intestine a bacterium closely 
resembling B. coli commune. But while the latter forms from glucose a 
dextro-lactic acid, the former ( B . Bischleri ) is optically inactive. There 
is no doubt that the observations of the author are extremely interesting, 
but we cannot follow him further into the details of the procedure 
pursued in his laboratory for the study of the decomposition products of 
the carbohydrates affected by bacteria. For this the original must be 
consulted. 
Eisenberg’s Bacteriological Diagnosis.* — The third edition of 
Eisenberg’s Bacteriological Diagnosis has recently appeared. The whole 
work has been completely revised and much enlarged. Two hundred new 
species are described, and these are divided into three great groups : — 
(1) Non-pathogenic Bacteria; (2) Pathogenic Bacteria; (3) Fungi. In 
Group 1 are included micrococci, bacilli, and spirilla, and these are 
further subdivided into those which liquefy gelatin and those which do 
not, and also into two other classes according as they do or do not produce 
pigment. Still smaller groups are arranged in alphabetical order. 
Of the pathogenic bacteria the author makes four great divisions : — 
(1) Those specifically pathogenic to man ; (2) those specifically patho- 
genic to animals ; (3) those pathogenic to animals, but which are found 
in man ; (4) those pathogenic to animals, but which have diverse 
origin. This group as well as the fungi are, like Group 1, further sub- 
divided alphabetically. The author also gives another system by 
classifying them according to their local origin, e.g. from water, air, 
skin, sputum, &c., and then again indicating that these may be further 
separated into pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria and fungi. 
* Eisenberg’s ‘ Bacteriological Diagnosis, with Appendix on Technique,’ 3rd 
edition, Voss, Hamburg and Leipzig, 1891, p. 509. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. 
Parasitenk., ix. (1891) pp. 677-8. 
