RESULTS OF BACTERIA GROWTH f I2iy 



These facts, too, show the desirability of having the 

 A'alls of kitchens and pantries smooth and glazed, in order 

 :hat they may not furnish lodging places for air bacteria 

 and may be cleaned readily with a damp cloth. They also 

 show us that lace curtains and heavy hangings around 

 n oms will be lurking places for numerous organisms. 

 This may do no harm in ordinary parlors, rooms where 

 :1 e bacteria are mostly harmless and where no food is 

 kopt, but should never be allowed in kitchens, and should 

 b<; most emphatically forbidden in sick rooms where dis- 

 ej se germs are likely to be floating about in the air. 



The Results of Bacteria Growth 



The bacteria with which we are concerned all require 

 ccmplex foods. Some species can live upon simple min-l 

 eials from the soil, but these are of no importance in the' 

 household. All that are of interest for our purposes feed/' 

 upon substances quite similar, in general, to those upon 

 w lich animals subsist. Any materials containing sugars, 

 St irches, proteids (albumen, lean meat, etc.), or other ani- 

 m il foods, furnish excellent nourishment for bacteria. 

 F )r this reason the bacteria are in a sense the rivals of 

 tl" e animal kingdom. Both animals and bacteria feed upon 

 tV e same kind of food, and both are, therefore, constantly 

 se sking to obtain and use it for their own purposes. 



When we bear in mind the facts thus far outlined we^ 

 C£ n easily understand why bacteria play such an important | 

 pi rt in the affairs of everyday life. They are too small to I 

 se ;, but are capable of inconceivably rapid multiplication. 1 

 T ley are all about us in great numbers, in earth, air, and \ 



