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"The glass bottle or jar should then be placed in a strong wooden
or tin box, which should be large enough to allow of a layer of raw
cotton, at last three-fourths of an inch thick, being put between the
vessel and the box. The box itself should be encased in common gárah
cloth which should be securely closed and selaed. The seals should be
at intervals not exceeding three inches along each line of sewing."
2. Cultures and slides for the bacteriological diagnosis of
Plague may be prepared as follows:
Requirements-
1. Spirit lamp.
2. Spatula.
3. Scalpel.
4. Forceps.
5. * Glass pipettes (sterile).
6. * Agar slants (dry).
7. Microscopic slides.
8. Carbolic lotion (1-20).
A.-To make cultures from a bubo post-mortem, wash the skin
over the bubo well with soap and water and then with carbolic lotion
and dry it.
Heat the spatula strongly in the flame until it is hot enough to
sear the skin. Do this.
Heat the scalpel (previously boiled) and make a small stab over
the centre of the bubo, piercing the true skin.
Then having carefully passed one of the straight pipettes through
the flame six times, break off the sealed end with the forceps (also pre-
viously boiled).
Push the pipette with a twisting motion into the bubo through
the stab aperture made by the sealpel, and suck up a little fluid or
semi-solid material.
Quickly take an agar slant in the left hand and remove plug with
forceps and place between ring and middle fingers of left hand. Heat
the mouth of the tube. Insert the pipette into the agar tube and blow
out a small amount of material on the surface of the agar leaving a drop
to spread over the centre of a microscopic slide.
Then take one of the bent pipettes or spreaders, heat six times
in the flame and pass into agar tube and quickly spread the material
deposited there over the surface.
N.B.-Rest the heated end of the spreader on the surface of the agar jelly to cool it,
before spreading the material.
The mouth of the agar tube should be kept hot by turning it in
the flame of the lamp while it is open, and the cotton plug ought to be
burnt in the flame before putting it back in the tube with the forceps.
While open, keep the agar tube mouth downwards or in a hori-
zontal position.
The remaining drop in the pipette should be blown out on the
centre of a microscopic slide and spread over. The slide should, when
dry, be passed three times through the flame. Care should be taken
not to over-heat the slide.
* These will be sent from the laboratory on application.