374 THE BACTERIOPHAGE AND ITS BEHAVIOR 



The first essential toward gaming some light on this question is to 

 study the nature of the products which result from the dissolution of 

 bacteria through the action of the bacteriophage. The bacterium 

 selected for this type of study should be B. coli, since this organism is 

 readily bacteriophaged in a synthetic medium free of protein materials. 

 Up to the present nothing has been done in this direction, or rather 

 that which has been done has no very great value if one may judge from 

 the contradictory conclusions reached by the two authors who have 

 attempted to ascertain the nature of the products resulting from the 

 degradation of the bacteria. According to Otto and Sukkienikowa*^^ 

 the bacteria are necessarily degraded into special products ; according to 

 lonesco-Mihaiesti^^® the bacteriophage does not attack the protein 

 molecule of the bacterial substance at all, the process being simply a 

 plasmolysis. It would seem that it would be well to have this question 

 investigated by a chemist. 



As for the fact that the injection of an animal with bacteriophage 

 suspensions, — which as we know contain the dissolved bacterial sub- 

 stances in addition to the bacteriophage protobes themselves, — causes 

 the appearance in the serum of both antibacteriophagic and antibac- 

 terial properties, this clearly shows that all of the bacterial substances 

 are not modified by the bacteriophage. One portion remains chemically 

 intact, since it retains its antigenic properties, while, on the contrary, 

 another fraction necessarily undergoes a chemical transformation since 

 it represents a new antigen. This last fraction corresponds to the bac- 

 terial substances which have been assimilated and transformed into 

 bacteriophage substance. 



6. CONSEQUENCES RESULTING FROM THE LIVING NATURE OF THE 

 BACTERIOPHAGE* 



Protobios hacteriophagus (syn. Bacteriophagum intestinale) forms a 

 new species from the point of view of the systematist, but in what 

 kingdom, animal or vegetable, does it belong? 



In all probability to neither the one or the other. To explain: It 

 is impossible for us to believe that Hfe results in a spontaneous forma- 



* I would refer the reader who may be interested in this aspect of the subject to 

 Immunity in Natural Infectious Disease, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1924. 

 I have shown there the nature of the probable results of the existence of protobes 

 as applied to the constitution of bacteria, beings which in reality are inter- 

 mediate between the protobe and the cellular microbes. The bacteria must be 

 aggregations of protobes, each micella being the less evolved bacterium, and ca- 

 pable of reproduction and of forming again the bacterial Plasmodium. 



