AMCEBJE OF THE INTESTINAL TRACT. 201 



paper, as I have had no personal experience with this 

 species of amoeba. 



Size. Elmassian states that the small size of this 

 organism is distinctive. The average measurement 

 is 12 to 14 microns in diameter, but sometimes the 

 organism may measure as much as 16 or 18 microns. 

 In one instance Elmassian observed an amoeba 

 measuring 20 microns in diameter, but he considered 

 that it probably belonged to another species. 



Shape. When motionless this parasite is spher- 

 ical, or slightly oval in shape, but when moving many 

 variations occur in the shape of the organism due to 

 the extrusion of pseudopodia. 



The Protoplasm. The protoplasm consists of an 

 alveolar structure containing a nucleus which is situ- 

 ated near the centre of the organism. A vacuole is 

 often present and, when blood is present in the feces, 

 the amoebae frequently contain red blood corpuscles. 



The Cytoplasm. The cytoplasm of Entamceba 

 minuta is divided into a well marked ecto- and endo- 

 plasm, but these two portions cannot be distinguished 

 unless the organism is moving. The ectoplasm is 

 clear and very refractive in appearance, while the 

 endoplasm is granular in structure and grayish in 

 color. Under high power the endoplasm appears 

 to be composed of multitudes of granules arranged 

 in an alveolar ground substance. 



