HENRY I. 



COMPEND OF BACTERIOLOGY. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE CLASSIFICATION, MORPHOLOGY, AND THE 

 BIOLOGY OF BACTERIA. 



/ BACTERIA (fission fungi or schizomycetes) may be defined 

 as very minute, unicellular vegetable organisms, almost always 

 devoid of chlorophyll,Cmd generally unb ranched Jthat reproduce 

 themselves asexually by means of direct division or fission, spores^ 

 or gonidia. They are allied closely on the one hand to the higher 

 fungi, such as the moulds, and on the other to the algae. Many forms 

 in one phase of development closely resemble members of other 

 groups, and it has always been difficult to classify them. ' Various 

 botanical classifications have been employed by different bacteriol- 

 ogists. The following one is based somewhat upon Migula's, 

 and that adopted by Lehmann and Neumann, which was compiled 

 from the systems of Flugge, Fischer, Loffler, and Migula. 



CLASSIFICATION .X-Bacteria may be conveniently divided into 

 six families, according to their morphology or shape, jf 



I. XCOCCACE^E.-^Spherical or spheroidal bacteriaX (Globular 

 in free state but usually seen with one axis slightly larger. 

 They do not have parallel sides like the baciHyCTo mul- 

 tiply, the cell divides into halves, quarters, or eighths, 

 each of which grow again into perfect spheres. --jCEndos- 

 pores and flagella are very rare. (Lehmann and Neumann.) 

 If mobile they are called Planococcus or Planosarcina. 



