124 STRUCTURE, MOTIONS, REPRODUCTION. 



servations Hueppe has "arrived at the definite opinion that the 

 tubercle bacillus is the parasitic growth- form of a pleomorphic mould, 

 and is not a true bacterium at all." Metschnikoff has reported his 

 observations of branching forms of the cholera spirillum, Frankel of 

 the diphtheria bacillus, and Semmer of the bacillus of glanders, but 

 whether these are examples of pseudo-branching, such as occurs in the 

 genus Cladothrix, or a veritable dichotomous growth such as occurs 

 in the mould fungi, has not been definitely determined. 



The chemical composition of the bacterial cells has been inves- 

 tigated by Nencki, Brieger, and others. Putrefactive bacteria culti- 

 vated in a two-per-cent solution of gelatin, and which produced an 

 abundant intercellular substance connecting the cells in zoogloea 

 masses, were found by Xeiicki to have the following composition : 

 Water, 84.26 per cent; solids, 5.74 per cent, consisting of albumin 

 87.46 per cent, fat 6.41, ash 3.04, undetermined remnant 3.09. 

 The albuminous substance, according to Nencki, is not precipitated 

 by alcohol, and differs in its chemical composition from other known 

 substances of this class. He calls it wykoprotein and gives the fol- 

 lowing as its chemical composition : C, 52.32 percent; H, 7.55 per 

 cent ; N", 14. 75 per cent. It contains no sulphur and no phosphorus. 

 The spores of the anthrax bacillus, according to Nencki, do not con- 

 tain mykoprotein, but a peculiar albuminous substance which he 

 calls anthrax-protein. Brieger analyzed a gelatin culture of Fried- 

 lander's bacillus, with the following result : Water, 84.2 per cent ; 

 solids, 5.8 per cent, containing 1.74 per cent of fats. After removal 

 of the fat the solids gave an ash of 30.13 per cent ; this contains cal- 

 cium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, sodium sulphate, and sodium 

 chloride. The amount of nitrogen in the dried substance after re- 

 moval of the fat was 9. 75. 



