Volume 1

Reports of the commission appointed by the Admiralty, the War Office, and the civil government of Malta, for the Investigation of Mediterranean Fever / under the supervision of an Advisory Committee of the Royal Society.

Date:: 1905-1907

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Reports of the commission appointed by the Admiralty, the War Office, and the civil government of Malta, for the Investigation of Mediterranean Fever / under the supervision of an Advisory Committee of the Royal Society. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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$Carbonate of limo (CaCOs) 80*24 Phosphate of lime (Ca32P04) 3-57 Magnesium carbonate (MgCOs) 1 63 Calcium sulphate (CaS04) 0*06 Iron and alumina (FeoOs and AI.2O3) 1-13 Insoluble in dilute HCl (1 in 10) 12-88 99-51 The soil was sterilised, and its sterility tested as in Experiment T. On June 25, 1904, it was inoculated with an emulsion of M. melitensu, made in sterile water from an agar slope grown for 48 hours at 37° C. The soil, having been dried in the incubator at 37° C, was placed in the laboratory cupboard. On July 4, 1904, a portion of the soil was planted out in broth, and the growth which resulted on July 7, 1904, was planted out on an agar slope. A typical culture, giving all the l eactions of the M. melitends, was obtained. On July 11, 1904, the soil was again tested, and a pure culture of ]\f. melitensis was isolated. On July 15, 1904, an examination was made, but the growth in broth did not take place for 9 days, showing that the organism was much enfeebled. On planting out the growth on agar only a few colonies of the M. melifensis were obtained. On July 24, 1904, and on July 30, 1904, examinations were made, but the results were negative, the M. melitensis having apparently died out. Eesult.—The M. melitensis lived for 21 days in red Sliema soil, thoroughly dried immediately after inoculation. Eo'jpenmenis IV and V. These experiments Avere designed in order to ascertain whether the presence of traces of moisture, as distinguished from flooding of the soil, had any influence on the survival of the M. melitensis. In Experiment IV white Globigerina limestone dust was inoculated with M. melitensis on July 8, 1904 ; the tube was then placed in the laboratory cupboard. About once a week a little sterile tap-water was fxdded by means of a pipette, so as to preserve a faint appearance of moisture on the surface of the soil. At various intervals portions of the soil were removed and planted out in broth, the tube being then incubated at 37° C. The resulting growth was planted on agar and tested as already described under Experiment I. The Micrococcus melitensis was isolated on July 15, 1904. July 24, 1904. „ July 30, 1904. August 11, 1904. August 19, 1904.$