AMCEB^E OF THE INTESTINAL TRACT. 97 



to the stain employed, and in every preparation it 

 will be found that the majority of the parasites stain 

 but poorly, and that, as a rule, a large number of 

 smears will have to be stained and examined before 

 a good preparation will be found. If one attempts 

 to follow the life cycle of the parasite in stained 

 preparations it will be necessary to examine scores 

 of smears before each step can be demonstrated, but 

 if one has the patience it is possible to follow almost 

 every stage of development in such preparations. 



In those organisms in which the ectoplasm and 

 the endoplasm are differentiated it is observed that 

 the ectoplasm stains a very delicate blue and appears 

 almost structureless, while the endoplasm stains a 

 dark blue or violet, and is composed of deep blue 

 granules and irregular masses of homogeneous ma- 

 terial. The distinction between the light blue ecto- 

 plasm and deep blue or violet endoplasm is very 

 marked and serves to differentiate this organism from 

 Entamceba liistolytica, in which the ectoplasm takes 

 a deep blue, and the endoplasm a light blue color. 



If one examines the well-stained organisms with 

 a high power lens the ectoplasm will seem to be com- 

 posed of very minute, dust-like, dimly stained gran- 

 ules, while the endoplasm contains deeply stained 

 bacteria of various kinds and sometimes a few crys- 

 tals. If vacuoles are present they are observed as un- 



