Chapter 5 



Marine Bacteriology and the Problem 

 of Mineralization 



Sydney C. Rittenberg 



w. 



ith the first international symposium dedicated to marine 

 microbiology approaching completion, it might be considered 

 presumptuous to ask whetlier we are justified in speaking of 

 marine bacteriology as a branch of bacteriology. We should not 

 ignore, however, the view of Winogradsky expressed in relation 

 to soil microbiology some 33 years ago on a somewhat similar 

 occasion. Looking back over a much more voluminous body of 

 literature than has as yet accumulated for marine microbiology, 

 Winogradsky (29) had the following to say, "The question as to 

 whether we are justified in speaking of soil microbiology as of the 

 youngest branch of microbiology has repeatedly been asked and 

 differently answered. The writer is of opinion, already formulated 

 in his address in Rome and elsewhere, that such a branch, if born, 

 is yet in its infancy. What we call "soil microbiology" is not more 

 than a chapter of general microbiology ti^eating of microorganisms 

 isolated from the soil and hypothetically admitted to be taking 

 part in some processes which are characteristic of this natural 

 medium. Remarkable work has been done in tliis direction by 

 numerous investigators in many countries, and the accumulated 

 knowledge of 35 years work must be regarded as acquired scien- 

 tific knowledge. Without doubt, it forms a necessary introduction 

 to soil microbiology, hut it cannot he taken for soil micwhiology 

 itself. The general topics of the two are too widely different to 

 be considered under the same heading. 



"In fact, the subject of the general microbiologist is the 

 study of the morphology and physiology of species which have 

 been chosen by him or which have in some way fallen into his 

 hands, whereas the aim of the soil microbiologist is to study the 



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