Medical Officers of the Army of India.

29

could any development of colonies of Comma-Bacilli be detected, and the gene-
ral result of the series of experiments was thus to show that the Bacilli, even
when introduced in very large numbers, do not find conditions in ordinary sam-
ples of milk favourable to their multiplication or even to their continued survival
for any considerable time.

       So much having been ascertained, it next appeared to be desirable to follow
the course of events subsequent to inoculation somewhat more closely, and a
series of cultivations derived from one and the same sample of milk, but set at
successive periods shortly after inoculation had been effected, was accordingly
carried out. The results of these are embodied in Table VII:—

TABLE VII.—Results of successive Cultivations of a Specimen of Unboiled
Milk inoculated with Comma-Bacilli.

No. of specimen
in Table VI.		 Date and
time at
which
inoculated.		 No. of
Plate-
culti-
vation.		 Date and time at
which set.		 RESULTS.
V.—Milk in a
sterilised
tube inocu-
lated with
0.03 C.C.
sterilised salt
solution full
of the Com-
ma-Bacilli of
a tube-cul-
tivation of 48
hours' stand-
ing.		 August
3rd, 8 A.M.		 1 August 3rd, 10
A.M. Plate;
inoculated by a
looped needle
dipped in the
milk.		 August 4th. Numerous colonies of lacteal schizomy-
cetes, and a few of characteristic Comma-Bacilli;
smell non-choleraic.
  2 August 3rd, 12
noon. Plate set
as abo		 August 4th. A greatly increased number of colonies
or common lacteal schizomycetes, and a somewhat
larger number of colonies of Comma-Bacilli; smell
non-choleraic.
Reaction at
first neutral;
at noon faint-
ly acid.		 ... 3 August 3rd, 2
P.M. Plate set
as above.		 August 4th. Excessive increase in the number of
colonies of common lacteal schizomycetes, and
great diminution in the number of colonies of
Comma-Bacilli; smell non-choleraic.
August 5th.
Strongly
acid; fully
coagulated
and separa-
ted.		 ... 4 August 3rd, 6
P.M. Plate;
inoculated as
above.		 August 4th. Absolutely crowded with colonies of
common lacteal schizomycetes; only a single
colony of Comma-Bacilli detected; smell non-
choleraic.
    5 August 4th, 10
A.M. Plate;
inoculated by
a common
needle.		 August 5th. Numerous colonies of common lacteal
schizomycetes; not a trace of Comma-Bacilli;
smell non-choleraic.

       Inoculation was performed at 8 A.M., and successive cultivations set at in-
tervals of 2, 4, 6, 10 and 24 hours thereafter. The first four of these showed
evidences of excessive multiplication of common lacteal schizomycetes occur-
ring within the first 10 hours of the experiment, and they also showed that
Comma-Bacilli survived in the fluid for a like period. So far as the evidence