124 STRUCTURE, MOTIONS, REPRODUCTION. 
servations Hueppe has “arrived at the definite opinion that the 
tubercle bacillus is the parasitic growth-form of a pleomorphic mould, 
and is not a true bacterium at all.” Metschnikoff has reported his 
observations of branching forms of the cholera spirillum, Fréankel of 
the diphtheria bacillus, and Semmer of the bacillus of glanders, but 
whether these are examples of pseudo-branching, such as occurs in the 
genus Cladothrix, or a veritable dichotomous growth such as occurs 
in the mould fungi, has not been definitely determined. 
The chemical composition of the bacterial cells has been inves- 
tigated by Nencki, Brieger, and others. Putrefactive bacteria culti- 
vated in a two-per-cent solution of gelatin, and which produced an 
abundant intercellular substance connecting the cells in zodgloea 
masses, were found by Nencki to have the following composition : 
Water, 84.26 per cent; solids, 5.74 per cent, consisting of albumin 
87.46 per cent, fat 6.41, ash 3.04, undetermined remnant 3.09. 
The albuminous substance, according to Nencki, is not precipitated 
by alcohol, and differs in its chemical composition from other known 
substances of this class. He calls it myhoprotein and gives the fol- 
lowing as its chemical composition : C, 52.32 per cent; H, 7.55 per 
cent ; N, 14.75 per cent. It contains no sulphur and no phosphorus. 
The spores of the anthrax bacillus, according to Nencki, do not con- 
tain mykoprotein, but a peculiar albuminous substance which he 
calls anthrax-protein. Brieger analyzed a gelatin culture of Fried- 
lander’s bacillus, with the following result : Water, 84.2 per cent ; 
solids, 5.8 per cent, containing 1.74 per cent of fats. After removal 
of the fat the solids gave an ash of 30.13 per cent ; this contains cal- 
cium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, sodium sulphate, and sodium 
chloride. The amount of nitrogen in the dried substance after re- 
moval of the fat was 9.75. 
