Isolation 475 



The spores of the anthrax bacillus (Fig. 142), being large 

 and readily obtainable, form excellent subjects for the 

 study of spore-formation and germination, for the study of 

 the action of germicides and antiseptics, and for staining. 



Motility. The bacilli are not motile and have no 

 flagella. 



Staining. They stain well with ordinary solutions of the 

 anilin dyes, and can be beautifully demonstrated in the 

 tissues by Gram's method and by Weigert's modification of 

 it: Picrocarmin, followed by Gram's stain, gives a beau- 



Fig. 142. Bacillus anthracis, stained to show the spores. X 

 (Frankel and Pfeiffer). 



tiful, clear picture. The spores can be stained with carbol- 

 fuchsin, the bacilli decolorized with a very weak acid 

 and then counterstained with a watery solution of methyl 

 blue. 



Isolation. The bacillus of anthrax is one of the easiest 

 organisms to secure in pure culture from the tissues and 

 excreta of diseased animals. Its luxurious vegetation, the 

 typical appearance of its colonies, and its infectivity for the 

 laboratory animals combine to make possible its isolation 

 either by direct cultivation from the tissues or by the plate 

 method, or by inoculation into animals and recovery from 

 their blood. 



