This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905 edition. Excerpt: ...agents that easily destroy life, even resisting the action of a temperature of 212 F. for several hours. The bacillus antltrucia is a noticeable _examplc of this. Certain bacteria possess the property of motility. The propelling power are hairlike appendages, called tiagcllte, projecting from various parts of the body-wall. This motility is an important point in bacteriologio diagnosis. and is p()SS('SSt'(l pre-eminently by the barfllzls l_r/p/m.z'x. Bacteria are found everywhere (in air, soil, water, clothing, surface of bodies. mucous membrane, etc.), and they multiply so rapidly Bacteria that, it has been estimated, one bacillus in 24 hours will produce 16 millions. By their growth bacteria produce certain poisons, called ptomaines (saprophytic) and tomalbumins (parasitic). This action producing ptomaines is the cause of the numerous deaths reported from eating ice cream, sausage, and other substances. As an example of the poisonous effect of the tox-albumins we have the bacillus diplttheriw, which acts by its toxine in producing the condition known as "intoxication." For the artificial cultivation of bacteria in the laboratory certain media are used. As to the method of their preparation nothing need now be said, suffice it to say that the general media are gelatin, agar-agar, bouillon, glucose-agar, litmus milk, potato, blood-serum. Special media are used in certain cases as some germs grow feebly or not at all on one general culture ground. An example of a special medium is human blood-serum in the artificial cultivation of the gonococcua. After the preparation of the media, 't must be made perfectly sterile. This is accomplished by submitting it to the action of live steam for half an hour on...