464 GENERAL SYSTEMATIC BACTERIOLOGY 



eight hours purplish spots were observable, and within twenty-four 

 hours the entire surface was covered. The results of this experiment 

 were pubhshed in Gazetta privilegiata, Venice, Aug. 24, 1819. He 

 observed further that a bit of the reddened polenta placed in contact 

 with freshly prepared polenta caused the latter to redden more quickly. 

 He concluded it to be due to the "seeds" of some microscopic fungus 

 present in the air. 

 He says 



J'examinai aussi les taches purpurines de la polenta de mais avec le microscope, 

 et, j'apercus un agregat de tres-petites vesicules hemisph^riques, couvertes d'une 

 pellicule mince, un peu luisante, et parsemee de petits points d'une couleur 

 pourpre si foncee, qu'elle paraissait presque noire. J'ai jug4 que des points 6tai- 

 ent les sporules ou 6taient placees les semences qui reproduisent I'espece. Apr^s 

 avoir fait I'examen de ce cryptogame, il me sembla ne pouvoir le classer avec 

 justesse dans aucun des genres alors connus; c'est pourquoi j'en etablis un nou- 

 veau et je I'appelai Serratia, du nom d'un illustre Italien, en y joignant les phrases 

 generiques et sp6cifiques qui suivent: Funguli acaules, hemispherici, capsulis 

 contortis. S. marescens. Vesicula tenuissima, latice primo roseo, dehinc rubro 

 repleta. 



(Breed in a personal communication states that "contortis" is a mis- 

 print for "confertis," and "marescens" for "marcescens.")- 



Bizio found the color of dried reddened polenta was insoluble in 

 water, and very soluble in alcohol. By use of mordants, it will dye 

 silk and linen, but the color fades prompty in direct sunlight. A 

 summary of his work was published in 1827 in the first volume of his 

 Opuscoli chemici-fisici. 



In 1844 Bizio called attention to the report of a French commission 

 to the Minister of War relating to discoloration of war bread. 



What is commonly regarded as the same organism was named 

 Zaogalactina imetropha Sette 1824, Monas prodigiosa Ehrenberg 1848, 

 Palmella prodigiosa Montague, Bacteridium prodigiosum Schroter 

 1872, Micrococcus prodigiosus Cohn 1872, Bacillus imetrophus Trevi- 

 san 1887, and Bacillus marcescens De Toni and Trevisan 1889. 

 Pfeiffer (1887) ascribes the genus to Bergamaschi (1822). 

 Vuillemin (1913, p. 521) concludes that the genus name Serratia 

 should be revived for the rod shaped organisms that have diffuse flageUa. 

 He states that the characters as described by Bizio have no generic 

 value. However, inasmuch as the genus Bacillus had been "vulgar- 

 ized" by bacteriologists he proposed that Serratia be made a genus 

 canservandum with the type species Serratia subtilis. 



