24 PHARMACEUTICAL BACTERIOLOGY. 



siderable attention, for the simple reason that their time is taken up by matters 

 of far greater importance, namely, the determination of the r61e which the 

 microbe plays in the life economy. Should the student ever be placed in 

 position to justify him in attempting to identify a given microbe, he will 

 find an extensive literature which will aid him in his efforts. Undoubtedly 

 in time there will be a fairly simple, scientific, and complete system of classi- 

 fication of all known bacteria. As yet such a system does not exist. 



2. General Morphology of Microbes. 



As already stated, the morphology of microbes is simple. They consist 

 of a single cell composed of cell-wall and cell-contents. The cell-wall con- 



FiG. 4. — Illustrating the general morphology of microbes, a, showing general 

 structure of a bacillus, endospore formation, and development of new bacillus from a 

 spore; b, showing manner of transverse septation; c, arrangement of flagellae, single unipolar, 

 single bipolar; and multiple, polar and general; d, cocci; e, flagellse of cocci; /, 

 spirillum with single polar cilia. 



sists of cellulose, and is very thin; stains readily with the various bacterial 

 stains. The chief cell-contents is the cytoplasmic or protoplasmic living 

 base commonly designated as the nucleoplasm, which is of a granular nature, 



