CHAPTER VI 



THEY PROPAGATE 



ALL microbes propagate their species. Being the 

 simplest of living beings, they multiply in the sim- 

 plest ways. 



Some multiply by Fission. By this method the 

 microbe simply divides itself into two parts, and 

 each of these two parts becomes a new being. The 

 two new beings then divide, each into two parts, 

 forming four new beings. Each of these divides as 

 before, forming eight. And so on, continually. 



To understand this process more plainly, the tiny 

 thing, as seen in Fig. 19, first increases in size and 

 becomes elongated. Division next begins to take 

 place, as seen in Fig. 20. The fission is finally 

 complete as seen in Fig. 21. In Fig. 22 each of the 

 new beings thus formed has increased in size and 

 become longer. In Fig. 23 division in each begins 

 to take place. In Fig. 24 the division is again com- 

 plete, forming four new beings. Each of the four 

 thus formed will enlarge and divide in the middle, 

 as before, making eight, as shown in Fig. 25. Each 

 of the eight will then go through the same process, 

 making sixteen. Each of the sixteen will repeat 

 the process, creating thirty-two. The thirty-two 



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