278 D. De CUNNINGHAM, 
series of blood cultivations there certainly appeared to be a cer- 
tain amount of spore formation, as subsequent to the appearance 
and cessation of activity in the Amcebe, masses of much smaller 
spheres made their appearance among the amebal aggregates, the 
individual cells of which measured from 4 to 6 » in diameter. 
As no process of multiplication by division during activity was 
ever observed to take place, and as, at the same time, no evident 
diminution in the numbers of bodies developed in successive 
inoculations manifested itself, it seems, indeed, probable that the 
occurrence is a normal one. Cell cultivations in which boiled 
milk was substituted for blood failed to show any similar phe- 
nomena, the intense acidity developed in the medium subsequent 
to inoculation seeming to be fatal to the spores. 
Numerous attempts were made to cultivate the sporangial 
spores and Amcebz of cow dung in human excreta, but at first 
without any result. Like the similar bodies naturally present in 
the medium, they invariably appeared to be killed by the stage 
of acid fermentation. Even where the development of acidity 
was very limited, as in cases where the occurrence of Oidium 
was prevented by prolonged boiling, it was long before any posi- 
tive results were obtained in dealing with fresh excretal matter, 
and the investigation had almost been given up, when, due to an 
accidental case of inoculation, it was ascertained that the case is 
very different when the medium has once entered on the alkaline 
stage of fermentation. Here, in place of being unfavorable to 
the vitality of the organism, the material appears rather to be 
specially adapted to it in some respects, although, at the same 
time, the normal cycle of developmental phenomena characterising 
it in its natural medium fails to occur with constancy. There 
is not the same strong tendency to the formation of regular 
sporangia, and the individual ameboid elements tend rather to 
retain an independent existence, attaining at the same time an 
abnormal magnitude ; sporangial formation, however, is not always 
absent, although in most cases in which it occurs assuming an 
abnormal character. 
The history of a case in which an imperfect development of 
sporangia occurred is as follows :—A portion of perfectly fresh 
normal human excreta was boiled for half an hour, and then set 
in a moist chamber. The material was almost neutral, and con- 
tained the usual microscopic constituents—dééris of various 
sorts, an enormous accumulation of still bacterial matter, and a 
sprinkling of still circular Amcebe possessing one or two distinct 
nucleolar particles. On the following day the material was 
unaltered in appearance. Its reaction was decidedly and per- 
manently acid, and all the bacteria were still. Twenty-four hours 
later the acidity was less pronounced ; at the close of forty-eight 
