PART III.] Forms of the Flagellated Organis77ts in Dog s Blood. 



^IZ 



state of great activity. Their movements were so rapid that it was impossible to obtain 

 a clear conception of their exact form. The slide was set aside and again examined at 4 

 p.m., when it was found that their movements were much more languid and less sugges- 

 tive of spirilla than they were in the morning. It was at this time that the figures 

 here reproduced were sketched. As the rapidity of the movements diminished 

 there appeared to be a greater tendency to throw out flagellse, and wave-like 

 extensions of their substance seemed to originate at the thicker end and to pass 

 along rapidly towards the flagellum. The plasma-substance appeared to be 

 contractile along the whole length of the parasite, even to the very tip of the 

 flagellum, and, frequently, an impression was conveyed, suggestive of the organism 

 being flat or ribbon-like; consequently, when seen in profile they presented a much 

 more attenuated aspect than under other conditions. Moreover, it is difficult 

 to decide how much of the wave-like appearance above referred to is due to rapid 



Fig. 63. — Various appearances presented by flagellated organisms in blood from a puppy' s ear, seven to eight 

 hours after it had been under the cover-glass : at a after eleven hours, h, c, d, changes undergone 

 by a protoplasmic body in the field during the course of a few minutes. Two blood-corpuscles introduced 

 to indicate the relative size, x 1000 diameters. 



lateral prolongations of the protoplasm, and how much to the aspect which would 

 be presented when this ribbon-like form undergoes rapid spiral contractions. In 

 the above figure (63) an attempt has been made to reproduce the most striking of these 

 different appearances, and a couple of red blood-corpuscles have been introduced 

 to indicate the relative size under the same magnifying power. 



At 5 p.m. the organisms manifested signs of losing vitality, became more 

 ribbon-like and pointed, — almost, if not quite, " lashed," at the thicker end also ; 

 moreover, a clear space is observed at a distance of from 2 to 3 /it from the point 

 highly suggestive of a vacuole. This is indicated in two or three of the figures. 

 They averaged about 30 fi in length and from 1 to 2 //, in width at the thickest 

 part. 



At 8 p.m. only two specimens could be detected in the slide, one quite 

 motionless, the other nearly so. One of these is carefully sketched at a in the 



