FROM THE PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 1 



stains, etc. , and constant reference is made to them. More 

 complete information in these matters is furnished by the 

 well-known works of C. Frankel, Giinther, Hiippe, and 

 in especially painstaking minuteness by the exhaustive 

 work of Heim: "Lehrbuch der bacteriologischen Unter- 

 suchung und Diagnostik." 



The special part attempts to give, so far as possible in a 

 natural botanical arrangement, a complete description of 

 the important varieties, with constant reference to less im- 

 portant ones which for any reason are worthy of notice. 

 Those which we have described in detail we have also 

 thoroughly investigated, thus supplying many previous 

 omissions. l A great part of the related species have been 

 studied so far as time, strength, and opportunity allowed. 



Of new "species," we have introduced only a very few; 

 identical varieties described under various names we have 

 grouped together; and in many places we have directly 

 tried to build up a natural system. It was evidently im- 

 possible to offer anything complete or final in the treat- 

 ment of the non-pathogenic varieties. 



Moreover, we are of the opinion that the advance of bac- 

 teriology, which we seek, especially the elucidation of the 

 questions of variability, relation, distribution in and out- 

 side of living organisms, etc. , cannot be accomplished by 

 one or several, but only by systematic national or, better, 

 international cooperation of investigators under a grand 

 division of labor. One task for this cooperation would be to 

 so improve and remodel the present often unprecedentedly 

 arbitrary and unscientific nomenclature of fission-fungi 

 that it will not challenge the derision of every scientist. 

 (Compare Introduction to Special Part.) 



Not infrequently our observations did not agree with 

 certain statements of various respected observers, but 

 we have always expressly acknowledged the same, and 

 especially have pointed out the contradictions and defects, 

 hoping thus to do service. 



For an extensive reference to literature we have found no 



1 If this were conscientiously done by all editors of bacteriologic 

 works, there would be at least a partial elimination of the varieties 

 which, are non-critically enumerated, absolutely insufficiently de- 

 scribed, and often repeated under different names. 



