44 DR. E. KLEIN. 



bacillus, and therefore his observations lose all value, since it 

 is probable that he had before him an ordinary flagellate 

 bacillus. 



Buchner (1. c, p. 394) also claims to have seen a transition 

 of a non-moving typical Bacillus anthracis into a flagellate 

 bacillus, but in Buchner's case this is supposed to have come 

 about in a gradual manner after more than 1100 generations. 

 Notwithstanding the imposing number of generations, I never- 

 theless doubt the reality of this transformation, since Buchner's 

 cultivations are open to the objection that they were contami- 

 nated with an air bacillus. Besides, Buchner, in connection 

 with this very transformation, makes certain statements as 

 regards the influence on this transformation of the acid re- 

 action of the hay infusion in which the bacilli were cultivated 

 and transformed into flagellate innocuous hay bacilli, state- 

 ments, I say, which I know to be incorrect, as I shall show 

 later on. He says, for instance (1. c, p. 392), " that the slight 

 acidity of hay infusion prevents altogether the growth of the 

 true Bacillus anthracis." This statement is to me unin- 

 telligble, since I have seen Bacillus anthracis starting off 

 into a very good growth in acid hay infusion, as well as 

 in other acid nourishing fluids. This statement of Buchner's, 

 if it is to be accepted at all, must be accepted to mean some- 

 thing else than what Buchner infers, viz. that the true 

 Bacillus anthracis in the acid hay infusion used by Buch- 

 ner had no chance against the hay bacillus growing in it, and 

 of which Buchner had not quite got rid previous to the inocu- 

 lation with Bacillus anthracis. 



I have mentioned above some of the conditions under which 

 spores were formed in my cultivations, and I wish now to state 

 the manner in which this takes place. Examining in the first 

 state the bacillus of such cultivations in which spore forma- 

 tion is just commencing, it will be found that the protoplasm 

 of the bacilli and bacillus threads appears slightly granular. 

 Where no spores appear it is uniform in aspect. In the 

 granular ones are seen here and there bright, glistening, 



