44 MORPHOLOGY OF THE BACTERIA. 



new individuals, which sometimes become sepa- 

 rated completely the one from the other, to form 

 unicellular bacteria, sometimes remain united; and 

 segmentation again occurring in each portion, a 

 chain is formed of articles more or less numerous. 



When these chains are formed of spherical bac- 

 teria, they have been called torulce; if they are 

 formed of filiform bacteria, they correspond to 

 leptothrix (Robin). The morphological difference 

 between the torula and the leptothrix consists in 

 the fact that in the first the articles are separated 

 by constrictions, while this is not the case in the 

 second. It is also to be remarked, according to 

 Cohn, that the microbacteria never take either 

 of these forms. Warming states, however, that 

 he has met the torula form in Bacterium lineola, 

 B. catenula, and B. termo (?). 



Billroth has called these two forms of bacteria 

 streptococcos and streptobacteria. He has even 

 considered it necessary to create the words diplo- 

 coccos and diplobacteria for organisms constituted 

 only of two articles. 



2. Form of Zooglcea. Generally, when bacte- 

 ria are rapidly multiplying, they remain grouped 

 in masses, swarms, or Zooglcea. In the latter con- 

 dition, they are closely pressed against each other 

 in the midst of a viscous substance, hyaline, ho- 

 mogeneous, colorless, and constituting masses 

 more or less diffused or definite, in irregular 

 globes, bunches, or tubes, swimming in the water 

 or near its surface. When the bacteria multiply 

 abundantly, the cells become removed from each 



