Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1890-05-02
BACTERIA AND DISEASE.
A Popular Account of n simple hut Won
,lerful 0rQn ulsm.

A Popular Account at n Simple hut Won
derfui Organism.
So small are tho bacteria, and so
simple In their structure and activities,
that 1t has not been an easy task for
scientific men TO decide whether they
belonged among animals or plants. 1t
is now definitely settled, however, that
they are plants, and are closely rotated
TO the algn. The bacteria vary good
deal in shape, but In general they are
either spheroidal or ovoidal, like a
billiard-ball or an egg; or rod-shaped,
like load-pencil; or spiral-shaped, like
cork screw.
They are generally so very small that
we can hardly form conception Of them
except by comparison with some we'll
known objects. One of the most COM
mon OF bacteria is little rod, so small
that II you were to put l,5oo Of them end
to end, the line would scarcely reach
across the head OF an ordinary pin.
II you look at them with a magnify
ing power so great that, II 1t could
be applied to him, IL would mako man
look about four times as big as Mount
Washington, they do not look larger
than this. We can make out, however,
that they arc made up OF slightly
granular material surrounded by some
what denser envelope. The bacteria
appear under the microscope as pale
translucent bodies, and the student usu-
ally finds 1t necessary, in order TO sec
their outlines distinctly, to stain them
with some one OF the aniline dyes-red,
or blue, or violet-whcn they become
very distinct
Warmth, moisture. oxygen and . GER
tain amount OF organic matter are ro-
Quired for the existence OF the bacteria.
So rapid is the process Of reproduction
that single germ by this process Of
growth and subdivision may give rise to
more than l6,5Oo,Ooo OF similar
organisms within twenty-four hours.
1t has been calculated by
an eminent biologist that II the proper
conditions could he maintained, Q little
rod-like bactcrium, which would meas
ure only about thousandth OF an inch
IN length, multiplying in this way,
would In less than Ave days make q
mass which would completely fill as
much space as Is occupied by all tho
oceans on the earth's surface, supposing
them to have an average depth OF one
mile.
There is really very little difference,
far as wholesomeness is concerned, be-
tween the few thousand vegetable cells,
called bacteria, which may be clinging
to the surface OF q grape, and few hun
drcd vegetable cells OF larger size OF
which the grape itself is composed.
Both are alike worked over by the d.
gestive organs, under ordinary condi-
tions, into nutritive material for tho
uses of the body. Milk b q most
excellent food for many forms Of
bacteria, and among those which
are commonly present in milk Is one
which causes IL TO become sour when
left to itself. Other forms OF bacteria
develop those peculiar chemical COM
pounds which give to cheese its special
and varying flavors. II is, in fact, u
very motley group OF chemical sub
stances which these bacteria set free In
foeding themselves on natures waste
organic materials. Sometimes they are
very bad smelling gasses, sometimes
aromatic substances, sometimes they
are sweet sometimes they are sour.
But sooner or later they are used by
some animal or plant and so again
entor the domain OF life. Thus ever In
ceaseless alterations between life and
death these elemental combinations
come and go. And ever since life
emerged from its primal simple forms
on earth, the bacteria have silently gone
on tearing the worn-out and useless
to pieces and turning 1t over in new
combination to other forms OF life
Philadelphia Press