114 THE PATHOGENIC BACTERIA. 



out suppuration in other parts of the human body, such as 

 the conjunctiva, appendages of the uterus, in the peritoneum 

 and articulations. Cutaneous and muscular abscesses have 

 occasionally been found to be caused by the gonococcus. 



Morphology. These micrococci are usually found united in 

 pairs presenting the appearance of grains of coffee, the two 

 opposing sides being generally flattened or concave. In size 

 they vary from 0.6 M to 0.9 1* in width and from 1.2/j. to 1.8 p. 

 in length. In stained preparations the flattened surfaces are 

 separated by an unstained interspace. The gonococci are 

 found free in the pus, but more often as small masses in the 

 pus or epithelial cells. This serves partly to distinguish them 

 from other pus cocci (Fig. 49). 



FIG. 49. 



., f t ^' 



. 



m*>,. 







?/. *'V 



?m ' ,>// 



Pus of gonorrhoea, showing diplococci in the bodies of the pus-cells. (Abbott.) 



Principal Biologic Characters. It is aerobic, but is very 

 difficult to cultivate outside the human body. A number of 

 investigators have succeeded in cultivating it on human blood- 

 serum obtained from the placenta of a recently delivered 

 woman ; others have been successful with ascitic fluid and 

 with the fluid of hydrocele. The cultures grow at a tempera- 

 ture of between 30 and 35 C. Finger has succeeded in 

 cultivating it in sterile acid urine with 0.5 per cent, of peptone. 



The gonococcus will not grow on gelatin, agar-agar, potato, 



