GROUP OF PYOGENIC COCCI. 



45 



The gonococcus is the organism, causing gonor- The gono- 



,. ... coccus 



rhea. It is a diplococcus, always occurring in pairs 

 with the surfaces facing one another flattened like two 

 coffee-beans. In pus it is found almost always within 

 the bodies o>f the leucocytes. It is very difficult to 



Fig. 4. Gonorrhea! pus, showing gonococci within a leucocyte. 



cultivate, as it does not grow on the ordinary culture 

 media. By the diplococcus form, coffee-bean shape, 

 and situation within the leucocytes, it is identified by 

 direct microscopic examination of pus. 



Infection with the gonococcus, or gonorrhea, is 

 classed as a venereal disease because it is commonly 

 confined to the genital organs. It is an exceedingly 

 common disease, and is spread almost always by 



