FERMENTATION OF THE CARBOHYDRATES. 



373 



become fusiform before spores are formed. When the envelope of the mother-cell 

 is ruptured or destroyed, the spores are liberated, and if they fall upon or into a 

 suitable medium, they germinate and reproduce organisms similar to those from 

 which they sprung. The process of spore-production is illustrated in Fig. 147, 7, 8, 

 9, and in 1, 2, 3, 4 is shown the process of germination in the butyric acid fungus. 

 The spores are very tenacious of life; they may be dried when they resist death for 

 a very long time; some of them are not killed by being boiled. Some fungi exhibit 

 their vital activities only in the presence of (Aerobes), while others require the 

 exclusion of O (Anaerobes, Pasteur). According to the products of their action, 

 they are classified as follows: Those that produce fermentations (zymogenic 

 schizomycetes); those that produce pigments (chromogenic) ; those that produce 

 disagreeable odours, as during putrefaction (bromogenic); and those that when 

 introduced into the living tissues of other organisms produce pathological conditions, 

 and even death (pathogenic). All these different kinds occur in the human body. 



A, Bacterium aceti in the form of cocci (1); diplococci (2); short rods (3), and 

 jointed threads (4, 5). B, Bacillus butyricus (1) isolated spores; (2, 3, 4) 

 germinating condition of the spores ; (5, 6) short and long rods ; (7, 8, 9) 

 formation of spores within a cellular fungus. 



When we consider that numerous fungi are introduced into the intestinal 

 canal with the food and drink that the temperature and other conditions within 

 this tube are specially favourable for their development; that there also they meet 

 with sufficient pabulum for their development and reproduction we cannot 

 wonder that a rich crop of these organisms is met with in the intestine, and that 

 they produce these numerous decompositions. 



I. Fermentation of the Carbo-hydrates, (1.) Bacterium lacticum 

 (Cohn), (Ferment lactique, Pasteur) are biscuit-shaped cells, T5-3 /j. in 

 length, arranged in groups or isolated. They split up sugar into lactic 

 acidj 



1 grape-sugar =C 6 H 12 6 :=: 2 (C 3 H 6 3 ) = 2 milk-sugar. 



Milk-sugar (C 12 H 22 O 4 ) may be split up by the same ferment causing it 

 to take up H 2 0, and forming 2 molecules of grape-sugar, 2 (C 6 H 12 6 ), 

 which are again split into 4 molecules of lactic acid, 4 (C 3 H 6 3 ). 



