376 LAUEA FLORENCE 



the organisms were cultivated on agar. In explanation of these 

 opposite findings it may be suggested that the Japanese workers 

 studied only the colonies on the agar slants, in which we have 

 never found spiral bodies, and did not examine the contents of 

 the condensation water, where we have repeatedly found them. 

 These authors did not specify in what part of the cultures grown 

 on media containing fresh protein the spiral bodies were found, 

 but Loeffler (1890) described those found in the cultures of the 

 black leg bacillus as lying on the surface layer of the blood serum. 

 To Migula's (1897) description of their formation as a mechani- 

 cal process resulting from the collision of motile bacteria and the 

 intertwining of their flageUa in a circumscribed space nothing 

 definite can be added. It is possible, however, that the nature of 

 the media on which an organism is grown may exert a secondary 

 influence on their formation and may explain the variation in 

 their time of appearance in cultures of different organisms. It 

 was thought that the viscosity of the condensation water might 

 influence the formation of spirals, but this proved not to be the 

 case. 



SUMMARY 



Spiral bodies resembling spirochetes were found in cultures of 

 bacterial organisms grown aerobically, as well as in those grown in 

 a limited amount of oxygen. They were regularly present in the 

 condensation of water of such cultures. 



As has been pointed out by other workers, such spiral bodies 

 are to be distinguished from spirochetes (1) by their lack of 

 motility, (2) by their reaction towards stains, and (3) by the 

 impossibility of obtaining them in pure culture. 



Their relationship with flagella is further proved by their pres- 

 ence in cultures of motile organisms only. 



Their disintegration when incubated for two to three days 

 in sterile water is evidence of their lifelessness. 



