182 Manual of Veterinary Microbiology. 



lated or associated in twos or threes, rarely more, 

 the limits of the articles being then marked by one or 

 more articulations or clear zones distinctly travers- 

 ing the polybacillar filament ; often two contiguous 

 elements have commenced to detach themselves and 

 form between them a large open angle with the articu- 

 lation partly disconnected, forming its apex. 



The different segments of the same filament are of 

 equal length ; each segment is very slightly swollen 

 at its extremities. Their dimensions vary from 5// to 

 10/i iu length by 1// to 1-5/z in thickness. The com- 

 pound filaments are never of great length in the 

 blood of animals dead of charbon on account of their 

 constant collision with the blood corpuscles. In arti- 

 ficial cultures, on the contrary, they become consider- 

 ably elongated, important changes at the same time 

 being seen to take place in their substance; their 

 Fig 5. homogeneous contents become 



I . ■ modified, condensing in the form 

 ' ■ i^ l' of spores ; the latter are ovoid cor- 

 ^1 puscles, highly refringent, less thick 

 ' than the filament itself and conse- 



quently never produce bulgings in 

 the latter. The formation of the 

 spores is followed more or less 

 1 2, 3 Charbon ba- ^ ].| ^ ^^3^^ liberation, through 

 cilli m the blood. \ ^. \ "^ . ^ , ,., 



4. The same in a cul- the disintegration ot the filaments. 



ture, sporulated. (M. Reproduction of the bacteridium, 

 ^^^ L-) therefore, takes place only by fis- 



sion in the bodies of diseased animals during life; in 

 cultures the transversal division, only brought into 

 view by staining, is followed by sporulation, but only 

 between certain limits of temperature ; it begins above 



