Medical Officers of the Army of India.
7
due to the presence of schizomycete colonies. A plate-cultivation was inocu
-lated as in the previous experiment. On the following day it contained an enor
- m o u s n u m b e r o f c o l o n i e s a n d e m i t t e d a s t r o n g , o f f e n s i v e , b u t n o n - c h o l e r a i c o d o u r .
Twenty-four hours later the smell had become faint and choleraic. The surface
of the gelatine presented a generally diffused greenish-yellow colour, due to a thin
overgrowth, consisting of long, slender Bacilli. Numerous defined colonies of small
straight Bacilli were also present, but no commas could be detected.
Sixteen days after the beginning of the experiment a new cultivation was
set. Forty-eight hours later the surface of the gelatine was of a generally dif
-fused, brilliant greenish-yellow colour. It was almost odourless and thickly be
-strewn with large flattened patches, which were greenish-blue and greenish-yellow
by transmitted light, and there were also generally diffused brilliant yellow haloes
around them, and in many places over the general surface. In addition, there
were very many small, discrete, yellowish colonies embedded in the substance of
the gelatine. Small straight Bacilli abounded, but no recognisable commas were
to be found.
EXPERIMENT III.—One hundred grammes of dry pulverised garden
-earth were put into a glass beaker and 5o C. C. of sterilised salt solution contain
- i n g t h e c o m m a s o f t w o t u b e - c u l t i v a t i o n s o f S e v e n t y - t w o h o u r s ' s t a n d i n g p o u r e d
over it. The beaker was then covered and set aside beneath a bell-glass.
Three days later a plate-cultivation was inoculated by means of a needle
which had been immersed in salt solution, in which a little of the earth had been
stirred up. On the following day the surface of the gelatine showed an almost
universal yellowish coating, and numerous concrete colonies. The generally dif
-fused coating was due to a large straight Bacillus, and some of the concrete
colonies consisted of commas. On the following day the cultivation had a very
peculiar smell, of mingled choleraic and sour character. A second plate cultivation
was now—five days after the beginning of the experiment—started as before. On
the following day it contained numerous large colonies, but the smell was not chole
-raic. Large, straight Bacilli abounded, together with long filaments, consisting of
slender straight ones, and very short, thick oval forms. No commas could be de
-tected. On the following day, however, one preparation was obtained, containing
slender commas, isolated and in chains. Ten days after the commencement of the
experiment another plate-cultivation was set as before. Two days later the surface
of the gelatine was to a great extent covered by a continuous growth of a yellow
-ish tinge. A certain number of isolated colonies were also present, some of them
resembling the continuous stratum in appearance. Twelve preparations were
mounted and were all found to consist of large, thick, straight Bacilli.
As the surface portions of the soil now appeared to be devoid of commas,
they were removed, and a plate was inoculated from earth near the bottom of the
beaker. This was done thirteen days from the commencement of the experiment.
On the following day the cultivation was to a great extent covered by continuous,