THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF BACTERIA. 83 



amount of albumin in the bacillus, while an increased 

 quantity of grape sugar diminishes the amount of 

 albumin. 



The differences are much greater as regards the 

 dry substances of cholera vibriones when cultivated 

 upon albuminous soda bouillon and upon the non- 

 albuminous Uschinsky nutrient medium. Cramer 

 found (the figures represent the averages from experi- 

 ments with five cholera species) that : 



Albumin. Ash. 



Percent. Percent. 



Cholera vibriones on soda bouillon contained 65 31 



Cholera vibriones on Uschinsky solution contained .45 11 



In the latter case there were evidently very large 

 amounts of non-nitrogenous bodies, which may be re- 

 garded in part as hydrocarbons (or fats). 



A very important point in classification although 

 more in a critical negative sense is the fact discov- 

 ered by Cramer that closely allied varieties which ex- 

 hibit analogous, slightly ^varying composition upon 

 several nutrient media, suddenly act differently upon 

 a new medium. The most interesting illustration was 

 the conduct of five cholera varieties, which in soda 

 bouillon produced vibriones of almost exactly the 

 same constitution, while they differed greatly in 

 Uschinsky solution: 



SODA BOUILLON. 



Albumin. Ash. Total. 



Cholera, old 65.12 31.55 96.67 



Cholera, Hamburg, winter of 1892. 69.25 25.87 95.12 



Cholera, Paris 62.25 32.80 95.05 



Cholera, Shanghai 64. 25 33. 87 98. 12 



Cholera, Hamburg, autumn of 



1893 .. . 63.94 29.81 93.75 



