Laboratory Diagnosis.-Blood culture was taken, October 10. The same procedure was followed as in the previous case, with practically identical results except that the mouse had not died up to the date of my departure. COMMENT These two blood cultures were not taken with any hope of finding the influenza bacillus, but were secured from severely ill patients with the probability of finding the more ordinary bacteria usually associated with respiratory infections. Reasoning on that basis, the

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... al assumption would be that it is possible to isolate the influenza bacillus from the blood in a sufficient number of clinically influenza cases to prove undoubtedly the etiology of the prevailing epidemic of so-called "Spanish influenza." Owing to my transfer from Camp Jackson,-1 am unable to undertake this, but the foregoing short and incomplete report may be interesting to others. On approximately 100 throat cultures taken for meningitis, the number of plates showing the presence (macroscopically) of influenza colonies has been striking, especially to me after having examined thousands of plates last winter, when its presence did not seem common.