78 BACTERIA IN THE SPUTA 



less until the natural history of the pathogenic or non-pathogenic 

 microbes that lodge there is thoroughly known. 



In most cases a complete organism grows in length, breadth, 

 and thickness. But the chain-like bacteria and the filaments only 

 grow in one direction (in length) simply by a repetition of particles 

 in a lineal series. We must, therefore, suppose that neither these 

 original particles, nor the chaifi-like bacteria and filaments resulting 

 from them, are complete organisms, but that they are rather rudi- 

 ments of more perfect ones. 



By examining all the different forms of bacteria and bacilli, we 

 were led to believe in a single type, to which all other forms were 

 related. Now, we will show that the existence of this vegetation 

 is to be found in the patina dentaria, in certain sputa, and in the 

 mucus of the urethra, all the forms hitherto described being only 

 fragments of it. 



If somebody, for instance, not knowing all the phanerogams, 

 should enter a wood-house, looking at the wood, heaps of branches, 

 leaves, etc., he might at first suppose that they were different 

 things instead of parts of a whole. Likewise, if he should see a 

 threshing-floor upon which is spread and beaten Indian corn, he 

 might take the stems, roots, leaves, tufts, and grains for as many 

 different objects. But it will be sufficient to take him out into 

 the field, to convince him of his mistake. Looking through 

 the lines of the corn, he would see that most of the plants (the 

 female ones) are provided with ears, and he would see also others 

 higher than the rest (the male ones), having instead of ears only, 

 a tuft. 



Then he might suppose that the plants of this second type 

 were, perhaps, of different kind from the others, not thinking that 

 Indian corn is a dioecious plant, with distinct sexes on different 

 individuals. 



This is precisely the case with the microbes of sputa. We 

 were led to the study of the morphology and biology of Leptothrix, 

 by considering that nothing is useless in nature ; those parts which 

 now appear superfluous to us in living organisms, (as the nipples 

 in man) are rare exceptions. 



The illustrations of Leptothrix contradict this law. Look, for 

 instance, in Bizzozero, the figure of Leptothrix buccalis, reproduced 



