146 WINSLOW, ROTHBERG AND PARSONS 



subdivided by the Winslows into two genera — Aurococcus includ- 

 ing the orange pigment producers, and Albococcus including the 

 forms which produce a more abundant growth, of porcelain white 

 color. Buchanan (1915) has pointed out that in spite of the 

 neglect of the generic term Staphylococcus by recent systematic 

 writers, the name has perfectly valid standing according to the 

 accepted rules of biological nomenclature and should be used in 

 place of Aurococcus for the orange pigment formers. The Com- 

 mittee on Classification (1917) of the Society of American Bacteri- 

 ologists accepted this view and in its first report recognized the 

 genera, Staphylococcus (orange pigment formers) and Albococcus 

 (white pigment formers). 



In the discussions which followed the report of the Committee 

 on Classification the more fundamental question was raised as to 

 whether — aside from any questions of terminology — the separa- 

 tion of the orange and white staphylococci into two distinct 

 genera was justified. 



The Winslows based the distinction primarily on the difference 

 in pigment production, less heavy growth on media and more 

 vigorous liquefaction of gelatin by the orange forms. Both 

 orange and white groups included some non-liquefiers but among 

 those which did produce liquefaction the orange forms were 

 twice as active. Earlier results of Dudgeon (1908) were cited 

 as suggesting that the orange chromogens differ from the white 

 forms in exerting a more powerful reducing action on neutral 

 red and a more active fermentation of mannitol, glycerol and 

 rafnnose. Dudgeon, himself, however, finally concluded that 

 the white and orange staphylococci were all varieties of a single 

 species. The Winslows reviewed the results obtained by various 

 other observers in regard to the variability of chromogenic power 

 among the staphylococci but finally, in spite of such observations, 

 recognized the white and orange forms as constituting different 

 genera. Kligler (1913) from a study of the strains of staphylo- 

 cocci in the collection of the American Museum of Natural 

 History concluded that the difference in rate of gelatin liquefac- 

 tion between the white and orange cocci was a valid one. 



