An investigation of the cultural reactions of certain anaerobes found in wounds

FROM the time of the discovery of Pasteur's Vibrion septipue onwards, the investigation of the anaerobe has stimulated the energies of a host of workers, so that a very large volume of literature on the subject is available a t the present moment.Much of the work was done at an early period in the history of bacteriology, at a time, that is, when the more precise technical methods of the present day were non-existent, and it is for this reason of limited value.But even now there is considerable confusion in regard to the characteristics of the better known species, so that it is often difficult to pick out from the literature a concise and reliable account of any one individual organism.The contradictory statements which beset the literature dealing with anaerobes may arise from two reasons : firstly, individual species may show marked variations from time to time in their cultural reactions ; or, secondly, the difficulties inherent to anaerobic technique may result in the investigation of cultures which are not pure.As our work with the anaerobes has progressed, we have come to assign the burden of responsibility in this matter of discordant statements more and more to impurity of culture, and we are convinced that some a t least of the anaerobes show no more variation than do certain wellestablished aerobic organisme.The work herein detailed was undertaken with a view to determining the r81e played by anaerobes in infected tissues, and it has resolved itself into several stages.At the outset it became necessary to devise a ready means of isolating anaerobes in pure culture.The technique of the method ultimately adopted to secure this result has been elsewhere described by Henry (19 17 14), and is referred to here only in such details as appear to be essential.