LEPKA BACILLUS 229 



spirally twisted tress-like figures form, which show the 

 greatest difference in size, and consist, according to 

 Loffler, of flagella which have been torn off and compacted 

 together (fig. 85). The surface of potatoes acquires a moist, 

 polished appearance, in consequence of a thick white 

 coating which can be easily detached. Bouillon cultures 

 smell of rancid butter, as also those on agar. 



Transmission to sheep, cattle, and goats is attended 

 with success, but pigeons and mice are nearly immune. 

 Owing to the anaerobic character of the micro-organism, 

 inoculation can only be done subcutaneously. Cultures 

 on solid media retain their virulence longer than those in 

 fluids. 



Flagella Mass of flagella resembling a tress of Imlr 



Fig. 85. — Bacillus of Symi'Tojiatic Anthrax, from a Culture on Serusi. 

 Magnifled 1,100 times. (Alter Loffler.) 



Lepra bacillus. — Hansen found in leprous tissue, and 

 l^articularly in the lepra cells, small slender rods which 

 have club-shaped ends and approximate nearly to tubercle 

 bacilli in size. They are immotile, and are principally 

 distinguished from the tubercle bacilli by their property of 

 staining readily in aqueous solutions of the aniline dyes. 

 Besides this, however, they also stain by the methods 

 devised for tubercle bacilli, as well as by Gram's process, 

 but staining succeeds with much greater ease with bacilli of 

 lepra than with those of tubercle. 



By Baumgarten's process, cover-glass preparations are 

 stained for six or seven minutes in a dilute alcoholic 

 solution of fuchsine, decolorised in a mixture of one part of 



