278 
Urethral Spirochaetosis 
with saline solution, some of the spirochaetes seemed to lose their coiled 
appearance and looked like straight rods. The same change was 
observable in stained preparations but was less obvious owing to the 
fact that in many of the apparently uncoiled organisms it was really 
the depth of the spiral that was diminished and indications of coils 
were still visible (see fig. I, 67-70). But in such preparations and in 
smears made of materials in which all organisms had been killed by 
heat the great majority of the spirochaetes remained definitely coiled. 
Skein-like twists of spirochaetes were found in the freshly drawn 
pus and also some large tangled masses composed of a great number 
of the parasites coiled together. On one or two occasions the membrane 
appeared to be visible in the living organism. 
Transverse division was observed in the living state. A good 
many Y-shaped organisms were seen, the two divergent limbs being 
actively motile, sometimes both, sometimes only one, and the common 
stem, which was thicker, being rather more sluggish or quiescent. 
On watching these forms the limbs were seen to separate gradually 
as if they unwound themselves from the stem until finally there resulted 
two distinct spirochaetes united at the base by a delicate filament. 
The connecting filament then divided liberating the two organisms. 
These forms have been interpreted as a stage in longitudinal division. 
Morphology. The spirochaetes were long sinuous organisms with 
a flexible body thrown into a larger or smaller number of waves. 
Although all somewhat similar in appearance they showed a considerable 
number of morphological variations. They stained well with all the 
ordinary reagents, and were Gram negative. With the Leishman 
modification of the Komanovsky technique they were coloured dull 
blue or violet. Gentian violet stained the organisms most intensely, 
and was therefore used in the specimens from which the drawings 
to determine the length were made, but for details of morphology 
the Romanovsky methods were preferable. Gentian violet has the 
great disadvantage that it fades very rapidly at any rate in West 
Africa and restaining is seldom satisfactory. As an intense stain 
carbol fuchsine is about as good, but I am at present unable to say 
whether it lasts longer or not. 
Length. Within certain limits the spirochaetes varied in length, 
the longest forms being recognisably pre-division forms composed of 
two organisms united by a fine filament. Three hundred spirochaetes 
taken as they came were drawn with the aid of a camera lucida at 
a magnification of 2000, and measured. Pre-division forms were 
