Those who have studied the literature ofBacillus coliinfections of the urinary tract, over a period of many years, must be fully conscious that the methods employed in such investigations have been on very similar lines. Bacilli isolated from the urine have been classified on the result of various cultural reactions of which the fermentation of cane sugar anddulcitol appears to occupy the most important position. Animals have been inoculated with various strains of urinary coli, while similar inoculation experiments have been made on animals before and after a mechanical injury to one or both kidneys had been produced.

(1) Two types of B. coli are met with in urinary infections-haemolytic and non-haemolytic. Haemolytic colon bacilli are much commoner in infections in the male (72 per cent.) and non-haemolytic in the female (70 percent).(2) It was very uncommon to obtain both these types of colon bacilli associated in any particular case, or for a haemolytic infection to be followed by a non-haemolytic, or vice versa.(3) No evidence was obtained of direct relationship between the urinary haemolytic colon bacilli and those of the intestinal tract.(4) The haemolytic urinary colon bacilli were readily grouped by appropriate colon anti-sera, but this result was much less common with the non-haemolytic strains.(5) Culture media, in our experience, were of little value in the grouping of colon bacilli.(6) A haemolytic colon bacillus has not been cultivated by us from the blood stream in the human subject.(7) Two cases of acute infection were met with, caused by strongly haemolytic, but atypical, colon bacilli.(8) The blood sera from “normal” cases and from coli infections were tested for the presence of coli agglutinins. Several coli antigens were employed. A very much higher percentage of positive findings were obtained with coli cases.(9) Living colon bacilli, haemolytic and non-haemolytic, can be inoculated into rabbits in small or massive doses without serious ill-effect-in fact these animals have a remarkable tolerance for these organisms. No marked anaemia was produced by the injection of living or dead bacilli or filtered broth cultures. Agglutinins and precipitins were rapidly formed with the haemolytic strains.(10) Eenal infections in rabbits were not obtained by the injection intravenously of various strains of urinary and faecal colon bacilli.(11) Saturation agglutinin experiments showed in the majority of instances that colon anti-sera, made from non-haemolytic strains, are not desaturated by non-haemolytic colon bacilli other than autogenous strains, while with the urinary haemolytic colon anti-sera and haemolytic colon bacilli a much wider range of action is obtained.(12) Precipitins and complement fixation reactions were readily obtained with coli rabbit anti-sera and filtered beef broth coli cultures.(13) The action of No. 220 soluble mercurochrome was investigated in the treatment of coli infections of the urinary tract. This substance was found to be of definite therapeutic value, especially when employed in conjunction with vaccine therapy.

THIS investigation was undertaken with the view of obtaining evidence of the origin of the infection of the urinary tract with bacillus coli, and of any specific relationship between these organisms and those isolated from the faeces of each case.A very large amount of work has been done on this subject by various investigators, but no clear evidence has been obtained as to whether the infection of the urine takes place via the blood stream or is due to direct infection through the lymphatics or by external means. Many have thought that contamination by faeces of the external parts, especially in women, might be the cause of these infections, and the cases included in this series have been examined with this possibility in view.Herrold3 published in June, 1922, the results of the examination of eight selected cases of pyelonephritis in women. This work was based on the work done by Dudgeon' and his co-workers and published in October, 1921. The object of the investigation was to correlate the strains of bacillus coli isolated from the urine, with the strains of bacillus coli obtained from the faeces and cervix uteri by means of serological and biological methods. Monovalent sera were made by immunizing rabbits with killed cultures of the urinary strain. Five of these strains were haemolytic and three non-haemolytic.The results of the agglutination tests with these sera were as follows :-In the five haemolytic cases similar haemolytic strains of coli were obtained from the faeces, or cervix uteri (in one case from both sources). These strains were agglutinated by the monovalent serum to the same titre as the urinary strain in each case; one nonhzmolytic strain was obtained from the cervix uteri, which similarly was agglutinated by the monovalent urinary serum. In the remaining two non-haemolytic cases no colon bacilli were found in the faeces or cervix uteri which corresponded with the agglutination reactions of the urinary strain.Three of the haemolytic urinary sera cross-agglutinated with

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cleaned at the works agreed almost exactly with the laboratory filtration results, the former curve being, of course, inverted. The inference seems to be that by the periodical examination of reservoir water the life of the sand-filters can be judged.with tolerable accuracy. ALGAL-INFECTED WATERS. The next section (No. 12) was devoted to the treatment of algal-infected waters with copper sulphate. It was pointed out that the dose required to kill the different organisms varied within very wide limits. The maximum dose is hardly permissible, and with smaller doses there is always the chance of the way being paved for the active development of more resistant forms. Utilising this line of thought, the lecturer, for purposes of illustration, conjectured the possibility of, in a partial sense, a series of doses of copper sulphate leading to the growth of widely different organisms. To give point to his meaning, Dr. Houston showed a most beautiful series of slides in the following order : Uroglena ; Asterionella, Anabcena, and Synura; Spirogyra and Oscillaria ; Fragillaria and Volvox ; Dinobryon ; Synedra ; and, finally, Ceratium. As Dr. Houston remarked, when you interfere with the balance of nature you can never be quite sure of the ultimate consequences. Subject to the treatment being carried out by experts, the lecturer, however, was not opposed to the judicious use of copper sulphate as an algicide. Apart from sentiment, it may be a sound financial proposition to anticipate algal troubles by an inhibitory dose of copper sulphate, as this may mean prolonging the life of the filter beds very considerably. Apparently copper sulphate is a better algicidal ' ' than bactericidal agent, the converse holding true with the hypochlorites. In Section 13 the lecturer dealt with the taste of algalinfected water. The descriptions given to these tastes and odours by scientists (e.g., geranium, mossy, cucumber, grassy, violet, nasturtium, &c.) carry small conviction to the consumer, who is apt to use more forcible expressionse.g., like castor oil or rotten fish. Asterionella, Cyclotella, Anaboena, Oscillaria, Dinobryon, Volvox, Uroglena, and Synura, are but a few of the growths which have been credited with the production of evil tastes. A beautiful slide of Tabellaria was shown, and it was stated that the geranium-like taste produced by this growth could be successfully overcome by a small dose of postassium permanganate (5lbs. per million gallons). Hypochlorites, in comparison, are of little use as "taste removers." FILTRATION-WATER AND DISEASE. Having dealt in previous sections with the River Thames from the physical, chemical, and bacteriological points of view and with the changes which occur in it consequent upon storage, the lecturer proceeded (in Section 14) to consider the effect of the last stage in the purification process (namely, filtration) on the quality of water finally delivered to consumers.