MOEPHOLOGIOAL VARIETY OF BACILLUS ANTHRACIS. 261 



obtaining at will a copious crop of this variety, by sowing the 

 ordinary typical Bacillus anthracis of an artificial culti- 

 vation on to the surface of the solid gelatine pork broth, 

 contained in test-tubes or flasks plugged with sterile cotton 

 wool (see my former paper), and keeping these cultures at 

 ordinary temperature of the room, i.e. about 15—20° C. The 

 growth under these conditions proceeds slowly, and taking out 

 a sample of the growth after two or three days, we find the 

 astonishing fact that almost the entire growth, or the greater 

 majority of it, consists of the torula variety. What one finds is 

 this — spherical or slightly elliptical cells, of a diameter varying 

 between O'OOlo and 0-0026 mm., or more, isolated, or in small 

 groups, or more commonly in longer or shorter chains (see figs. 

 1, 3, and 6). Some chains are composed of cells which are 

 twice the diameter of the cells of a neighbouring chain. In 

 the fresh state these cells possess a distinct membrane, a clear 

 contents, and one or two granules. In dried and stained 

 specimens the cells are stained deeply as a whole. 



Some of the cells show constrictions dividing them into two, 

 three, or even four small cells, or they are in a state of gemma- 

 tion, like a true torula, a smaller or larger knob protruding either 

 in the long axis of the chain, or, what is not at all uncommon, to 

 the side of it. In consequence of this, and also in consequence 

 of the division of the largest cells into three or four daughter 

 cells, we find often attached to the side of a chain one or more 

 cells (see figs. 1, 3, and 4). When dividing into four, we 

 obtain a form similar to a sarcina. 



Besides these chains we meet with long rows of cells, of 

 which the majority or minority are spherical and large, the re- 

 mainder elliptical, and approaching more or less the ordinary 

 thin, rod-shaped elements of the typical bacillus. When stain- 

 ing such a specimen, we notice this fact, that the staining does 

 not extend uniformly over the whole chain, but that the deeply 

 stained spherical or elliptical cells are separated from one another 

 — or rather connected with one another — by a very faintly 

 stained thin, longer or shorter bridge. Fig. 2 illustrates this 

 point. 



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