THE LYMPHATICS 0E THE LUNGS. 
589 
in great abundance. The dirty waters upon which I 
operated became turbid, and were found to contain bacterian 
bodies. 
The rapid growth of the filaments in the presence of phos- 
phate of lime and cane-sugar is very curious and interesting, 
and the interest in their development is somewhat heightened 
by the fact that the filaments will, I think, be found to belong 
to a higher order of vegetation than fungi, viz. to the Algae 
and probably to the class Osciilatoriacae. 
In samples of water containing sewage a large proportion 
of the bacterian-like bodies partake more of the character of 
vibrios than the corresponding organisms in water con- 
taining phosphate of lime, and free from organic matter; but 
the line of distinction is so fine that I could not undertake at 
present to define the difference. Those bacterian bodies which 
are produced in water containing a large proportion of 
sewage, and especially urinary sewage, appear to be more 
flexible than those developed in the presence of sugar in 
effluent sewage water, or in water containing phosphate of 
lime only. The most active condition in which they are 
found is when they consist apparently of two cells or divisions, 
and in this form they are extremely rapid in their motions, 
and are seen darting constantly across the field, and 
occasionally stopping and performing a revolving motion. I 
cannot help thinking that these bodies, which multiply with 
such extreme rapidity and produce such rapid changes in 
solutions of organic matter, are a dangerous form of organism 
to be taken into the human system. 
Finally, the results of my experiments are in accordance 
with the theory, now almost universally accepted, of the general 
diffusion of germs; and once a suitable soil is produced for 
any class of these germs they will soon find it out and begin 
to grow, just as bacterian bodies develop in New River water 
immediately after a small proportion is added thereto of 
potash and cane-sugar respectively. 
THE LYMPHATICS OF THE LUNGS. 
An investigation into these structures has been recently 
undertaken in M. Chrzonszczewsky's laboratory of Kiew, 
by Herr J. Sikorsky. The results have been published in 
the ‘ Centralblatt/ and are abstracted in a recent number 
of the Lancet — The method adopted consisted in the 
xliv. 42 
