CULTIVATION OF PARASITIC AMCEBJS. 71 



For a full discussion of the methods used in the 

 past and at present for the cultivation of amoebae the 

 reader is referred to the work of Musgrave and Clegg 

 and to that of Walker. 



I desire here to protest against the growing 

 tendency of drawing conclusions regarding the mor- 

 phology and the life cycle of the parasitic amoebae as 

 observed in man from organisms growing upon arti- 

 ficial culture media. Even if it were definitely proven 

 that any of the parasitic amoebae have been cultivated, 

 deductions based upon the appearance of the amoebae 

 in such cultures would probably be erroneous, as it is 

 well known that the cultural forms of protozoa so 

 far described differ markedly in their morphology 

 and life history from the forms observed in the human 

 host. When we add to this fact the doubt which 

 exists as to the cultivation of the parasitic species 

 it is obvious that any attempt to describe or to liken 

 the morphology of cultural forms to the parasites ob- 

 served in man must result in failure and confusion. 

 The entire subject of the cultivation of the parasitic 

 amoebae is in a chaotic condition and much more work 

 will have to be done before it can be accepted that 

 any of the parasitic species of man have been cul- 

 tivated. 



Major Whitmore of the U. S. Army Medical 

 Corps, who has recently worked with Hartmann. 



