260 DR. E. KLEIN. 



On a Morphological Variety of Bacillus 

 Anthracis. 



By 



E. ILlein, ]9I.I>., F.R.S., 



Joint Lecturer on General Anatomy and Pliysiology in the Medical School 

 of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London. 



With Plate XXL 



In my Report of 1881 to the Medical Officer of the Local 

 Government Board, reprinted in this Journal, January, 1883, I 

 have mentioned the occurrence, in artificial cultivations of 

 Bacillus anthracis, of peculiar torula-like cells connected 

 with the Bacillus anthracis. I have stated there (this 

 Journal, January, p. 37) that observing the growth of the 

 threads of Bacillus anthracis in " cell specimens," it is found 

 that the growing ends of the threads are occasionally seen in con- 

 nection with a row of torula-like cells, i. e. spherical or elliptical 

 cells closely placed so as to form a complete chain. The torula- 

 like cells are larger than the cubical cells, which I there 

 described as constituting the elements of the Bacillus 

 anthracis. 



I have since followed this change more in its details, and 

 propose in the following pages to describe the results of my 

 observations. 



Every cultivation made of Bacillus anthracis in the pork 

 broth or the mixture of pork broth and gelatine in test-tubes 

 or flasks, as described in the above-named paper, when ex- 

 posed to a temperature of 20° — 25° C, shows some, although 

 not many, of the torula-like variety. But I have succeeded in 



