A™'ctober^mm'}    Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  499 
Natrio-salicylicum,  Gelatina  Alba,  Hydrargyrum  Salicylicum,  Hy- 
drastininum  Hydrochloricum,  Mel,  Methyl-Sulfonalum,  Oleum 
Camphoratum  Forte,  Oleum  Chloroformi,  Oleum  Santali,  Pilule 
Ferri  Carbonici  Blaudii,  Pyrazolonum  Phenyl-dimethylicum  Sali- 
cylicum (antipyrin  salicylate),  Semen  Erucae  (white  mustard  seed), 
Serum  Antidiphthericum,  Tela  Depurata  (purified  gauze),  Tuber- 
culinum  Kochi,  Unguentum  Adepis  Lanae,  Vinum  Chinae. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  the  two  most  popular  serums  are  to  be 
admitted,  and  this  step  is  of  great  value  in  the  case  of  the  diphthe- 
ria serum  in  attempting  uniformity  of  valuation;  four  strengths, 
(O  to  III)  ranging  from  200  to  1,500  "immunization  units,"  being 
permitted. 
The  commission  recommends  a  change  in  description  of  pome- 
granate bark  (including  assay)  and  changes  the  formula  of  sticking 
plaster  by  incorporating  India  rubber.  H.  V.  A. 
ARE  BACTERIA  FUNGI? 
In  Centralblatt  f.  Bakteriologie,  etc.,  Zweite  Abt.,  Bd.  iii,  Nos.  1 1 
and  12,  Dr.  Johan-Olsen  argues  that  bacteria  are  simply  one  stage 
in  the  development  of  fungi,  and  supports  his  text,  Zur  Pleomor- 
phismusfrage,  with  two  well-drawn  plates.  Unfortunately,  some  of 
his  most  striking  examples  are  drawn  from  species  of  Oospora 
which  mycologists  for  many  years  have  classed  as  fungi,  and  whose 
only  claim  to  be  classified  as  bacteria  is  the  fact  that  when  their 
extremely  tenuous  hyphae  break  up  into  conidia,  or  oidia,  the  latter 
closely  resemble  rod-shaped  bacteria  in  size  and  form.  These 
conidia,  however,  grow  into  genuine  branched  mycelia.  Some  of 
the  other  cases  which  he  cites,  e.g.,  branched  tubercle  and  diph- 
theria bacilli,  may  well  be  involution  forms,  as  Dr,  Migula  has  sug- 
gested, since  they  are  usually  found  only  in  old  cultures,  sparingly, 
and  under  conditions  unfavorable  to  the  organism.  More  diffi- 
cult to  explain  is  his  account  of  the  change  of  the  mycelium 
of  Dematium  casei  into  bacteria  bearing  endospores,  the  germi- 
nation of  which  spores  he  succeeded  in  witnessing.  Possibly  Dr. 
Ol.  Johan-Olsen  was  working  with  mixed  cultures.  Much  is  said 
of  Dr.  Brefeld's  System,  but  if  Dr.  Johan-Olsen's  culture  methods 
are  not  a  very  decided  improvement  on  those  of  his  master,  which  have 
been  described  to  me  in  recent  years  by  a  number  of  people  who  have 
studied  at  Munster,  and  which  are  certainly  very  crude,  then  we 
