54 THE BACTERIA IN ASIATIC CHOLERA. [CH. 



sheath, and that the size, or rather length, of these proto- 

 plasmic elements depends on the phase of growth, part of 

 the above assertion of Hueppe that those elementary 

 masses of protoplasm are capable of elongating into well- 

 formed comma-bacilliis perfectly intelligible, without any 

 need for ascribing to them the character of spores. The 

 above observation of the final death of the cultures seems 

 to me to prove that they are not spores. The morphological 

 test alone is therefore unsatisfactory ; that is to say, the 

 presence of elementary or young masses of protoplasm in 

 the single comma-bacilli, or in those forming a spirillum or 

 in a free state, does not seem to me conclusive proof that 



FIG. 13. PREPARATION OF A CULTIVATION OF CHOLERAIC COMMA-BACILLI in 



EGG-ALBUMEN AND AGAR-AGAR, TEN DAYS OLD. 



The comma-bacilli show only a slight curvature, many of them are almost straight ; 

 all of them are d.slinctly pointed at the ends. Magnifying power about 1,400. 



they are spores in the same sense as are the well-known and 

 well-characterised spores of, say, Bacillus subtilis or Bacillus 

 anthracis, since we recognised that condition as both intim- 

 ately bound up with the normal structure of a comma- 

 bacillus and as the result of disintegration. 



With regard to the alleged spore-formation in the cholera- 

 bacilli, Koch says (loc. cit.) : " As the question of the 

 presence of a resting-form of cholera-bacilli is down on our 

 programme, I will say a few words with regard to it. On 

 account of the importance of this question, I have done my 

 utmost to find something which could be looked on as a 



