GLOSSARY 237 



Culture The mass of bacteria grown artificially upon 

 laboratory foodstuffs. The general term applied to the way 

 bacteria grow. See Colony. Adj., cultural. 



Cytoplasm The soft part of a cell between the wall and 

 the nucleus; also called protoplasm. 



Dejecta The feces and urine; also used to mean sputum, 

 sweat, and morbid discharges. 



Disinfection The destruction of infective material. See 

 p. 53 for various degrees. 



Encystment The grouping together within a resistant 

 membrane of forms or stages in the life cycle of organisms, 

 or a resting stage when conditions for life are unfavorable. 



Enzyme The products of life of organisms by which they 

 digest their foodstuffs. A substance capable of splitting 

 others into simpler ones without itself undergoing any change 

 or entering into the new product. Also called ferment. 

 Related words: enzymic, enzymatic. 



Etiology Study of the cause of a disease and its trans- 

 mission; also the cause itself. 



Ferment (pronounced fer-ment) See Enzyme. 



Fermentation The breaking of sugars and starches 

 (carbohydrates) by bacterial ferments, with the production 

 of carbon dioxide, alcohols, and sometimes acids. Related 

 words: to ferment, fermentative. 



Genus Next to the lowest division of biological classi- 

 fication, including members of the lowest division, species, 

 among which there are only slight differences. Members 

 of a genus must be alike in all important characters. See 

 Species. 



Germination The progressive multiplication of the active 

 adult forms. 



Growth A word used to cover the appearance of a culture 

 on laboratory media, and sometimes used interchangeably 

 with culture. 



Host The body which carries a parasite. 



