PRODUCTION OF COLOURING MATTER. 143 



Many species of bacteria producing orange-yellow or orange-red 

 colouring matters are met with in air, water, and soil. Since they 

 are of no particular importance, it will be sufficient to merely 

 mention a couple of them, viz., the Micrococcus aurantiacus 

 ( = Bacteridium aurantiacum), described by Cohn and Schroeter, 

 and the Bacillus aurantiacus, discovered by Frankland. 



The group of globular Schizomycetes to which the generic name 

 of Sarcina has been applied is rich in species producing red or 

 yellow colouring matters. A few examples of the former having 

 been already given in previous paragraphs, it will now be sufficient 

 to consider merely those developing into yellow colonies. The 

 first observation of any sarcina species whatsoever was made in 

 connection with a species of this group. 

 JOHN GOODSIR (I.) in 1842 discovered, 

 in the vomit of a patient suffering from 

 a diseased stomach, colonies of microbes 

 resembling bales of merchandise in form, 

 to which he applied the name Sarcina 

 ventriculi (Fig. 33). His opinion that 

 the microbe was a vegetable organism 

 led to a controversy only terminated in 

 1847 by VIRCHOW (I.), who agreed with 

 his English colleague. Sarcina ventriculi 



produces, however, but a faint yellow From the contents of a diseased 

 pr\lrmT-inrr rnaftar Tlie polle nf tliA Qnr stomach, a-d. various stages 



colouring matter. of development. (After Zopf.) 



cina flava, described by De Bary, which 



measure 1-2 /A in diameter, produce a yellow colouring matter, 

 and this species is distinguished from the Sarcina lutea, discovered 

 by Schroeter, by its power of liquefying gelatin. Paul Lindner 

 prepared pure cultures of Sarcina aurantiaca from Berlin "Weiss- 

 bier" (white beer), the colouring matter of which organism is, 

 according to the researches of H. VON SCHROTTER (I.), allied to 

 lipoxanthine. No sarcina producing blue, violet, or green colouring 

 matters are as yet known. 



FIG. 33. Sarcina ventriculi. 



