BACTERIOLOGY IN A NUTSHELL. 



Food. 



Temperature. 



Size of 

 Bacteria. 



conditions are a certain temperature and food 

 proper soil, and in some instances oxygen as 

 found in the air. 



Bacteria that require oxygen are given the 

 name of aerobes. Those that do riot require 

 oxygen are called the anaerobes. 



Pathogenic bacteria require organic mattei 

 to feed upon. Vegetable or animal matter, 

 fluid or solid, fresh or decayed, all kinds are 

 adapted to their use as food, but the blood and 

 juices of the animal body tissues are specially 

 favorable material for their growth and de- 

 velopment. 



The temperature of the human body, viz.. 

 98.6° F., is the most favorable for the multi- 

 plication of pathogenic bacteria, although they 

 will also multiply quite rapidly in a lowei 

 temperature; 70° F. (ordinary summer heat) 

 is sufficiently high. Below 70° F. their growth 

 is slower and has been found to cease at 60^^ 

 F. A temperature of 110° F. is believed by 

 many to prevent their growth. 



Size of bacteria is a part of their description 

 difficult to determine. So tiny are they that it 

 is only under the highest power of the micro- 

 scope that scientists are able to study them at 

 all. One of the largest of the bacilli is said to 

 be about 1-12,000 of an inch in length, and 

 1-50,000 of an inch in thickness. We are told 

 that it would take six thousand billions of the 

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