OONOREHCEA. 105 



the pus, but more often as small masses in the pus or epithe- 

 lial cells. This serves partly to distinguish them from other 

 pus cocci (Fig. 49). 



Principal Biologic Characters. It is aerobic, but is very 

 difficult to cultivate outside the human body. A number of 

 investigators have succeeded in cultivating it on human blood- 

 serum obtained from the placenta of a recently delivered 

 woman ; others have been successful with ascitic fluid and 

 with the fluid of hydrocele. The cultures grow at a tempera- 

 ture of between 30 and 35 C. Finger has succeeded in 

 cultivating it in sterile acid urine with 0.5 per cent, of peptone. 



FIG. 49. 



Pus of gonorrhoea, showing diplococci in the bodies of the pus-cells. (Abbott.) 



The gonococcus will not grow on gelatin, agar-agar, potato, 

 or in bouillon. 



It stains with the basic anilin dyes, especially with gentian- 

 violet. It does not stain by the Gram method. This is a 

 valuable point to differentiate it from the pus cocci, which 

 all stain by the Gram method. 



Pathogenesis. Toure succeeded in causing urethritis in dogs 

 by injecting into their urethras cultures in acid media. Finger 

 and Gohm have caused acute urethritis, which rapidly disap- 

 peared, by intra-articular injections of cultures into dogs and 

 rabbits. Pus containing the gonococci when inoculated into 



