306 BACTERIA IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 



morphological characters, or in the behavior in a 

 culture-fluid, between the micrococci from these 

 two sources. In both cases multiplication oc- 

 curred sometimes in one direction, forming a 

 linear series, torula-form, and sometimes in 

 two directions, forming groups of four. Some- 

 times a group of three would be seen, in which 

 one large oval micrococcus was faced by two 

 smaller ones, which evidently had resulted from 

 the transverse division of one member of a pair 

 of oval elements. 



My observations show that the microscopic 

 plants under consideration vary considerably as to 

 size in the same culture-fluid ; and indifferent media 

 they present marked differences hi this respect. 

 The individual cocci in a group, like that in Fig. 5, 

 Plate VI. may be seen, by close inspection, to 

 vary considerably in size. The grouping, also, 

 depends, to some extent, at least, upon whether 

 they are favorably situated for vigorous growth, 

 or otherwise. When in a limited quantity of 

 culture-fluid the pabulum required for their de- 

 velopment is exhausted, they settle to the bot- 

 tom, where they are found in little masses, or 

 as a pulverulent precipitate ; and the associa- 

 tion into chains or groups of four is no longer 

 observed. 



The claim, then, made by Neisser, " that there 

 is present in the purulent discharge of gonorrhoea, 

 whether from urethra, vagina, or conjunctiva, a 

 micrococcus not found in other pus, distinguished 



