MICROCOCCUS GONORRHGE. 523 
generally extranuclear. When found in other portions 
of the field this is mostly due to the mechanical effect 
of smearing the pus on cover-glass slides, and should 
not be considered as characteristic. That the gonococci 
really lie within the protoplasm of the cells is proved 
by the fact that in carefully made preparations they 
are usually not found outside of the pus-cells. They 
appear usually as diplococci, in groups of two or four, 
Smear from pure culture of gonococcus on agar. (HEIMAN.) 
but at times they occur as round, single, and undivided 
cells. Others, again, are irregular in shape or granular 
in appearance, involution forms, particularly in older 
cultures and in chronic urethritis of long standing. 
The pus-cells containing gonococci are most numerous 
in the later or purulent stage of the disease, not so fre- 
quent in the beginning of infection, or as long as the 
discharge is of a serous character (Fig. 69). 
The gonococcus stains readily with the basic aniline 
colors, especially with methyl-violet, gentian-violet, and 
