RELATION OF PATHOGENIC TO SEPTIC BACTERIA. 41 



number of cubical protoplasmic cells contained witbin tbe 

 common sheatli. The cells may be seen aggregated into 

 twos or into fours, that is, forming longer or shorter rod aggre- 

 gations. 



Bacilli obtained fresh of the spleen of an animal dead of 

 anthrax show in some instances an absence of the protoplasmic 

 contents witbin the sheath ; this may be only limited to a 

 small spot or may involve the greater part of the length of the 

 bacillus. In sections made of hardened or fresh organs of an 

 anthrax animal, after staining with logwood, or, still better, 

 with anilin dyes, the same appearance may be met with, viz. 

 limited deficiency of protoplasm in some bacilli. Koch (1. c, 

 p. 40, and Plate v, figs. 29 and 30) mentions this appearance 

 of stained bacilli from the spleen of an anthrax rat. 



On a former page I have described a similar local deficiency 

 of the protoplasm in bacilli and bacillus threads in the arti- 

 ficial cultivations at all periods of growth, even at the earlier 

 stages, and in these circumstances tbe deficiency extends in 

 some threads over long distances, and in consequence only the 

 hyaline transparent sheath of the original thread is left, and 

 this ultimately may also become broken up. 



It appears to me very probable from numerous observations 

 that in every bacillus at some period of its growth, one, two, 

 or more consecutive cells may cease to grow and to multiply. 

 These cells die if spore forjnation does not occur in them, and 

 their death is indicated by a granular disintegration of their 

 protoplasm and a final solution and absorption of it. In this 

 case the sheath of the bacillus thread remains empty at this 

 place. Such bacilli and bacillus threads are thicker than the 

 unaltered ones. 



The division and gemmation of the above-mentioned torula- 

 like corpuscles or gonidia leads to the formation of chains, at 

 first entirely composed of torula-like gonidia ; by active divi- 

 sion of these gonidia the chains rapidly elongate ; in a further 

 stage the gonidia are transformed into oval elongate cells, 

 which are thinner than the original gonidia, and ultimately 



