STUDIES ON X-AGENT

V. EFFECT OF X-AGENT ON THE TURBIDITY OF PROTEIN OR ON THE GROWTH OF BACTERIA ARRANGED IN LINES OF VARIOUS DIRECTIONS

Abstract

The transmittance of protein solutions contained in a number of test tubes was estimated after they were arranged in a line and left for several hours in this state. It was found that the transmittance of the protein solution in each test tube altered during the time when the test tubes had been left in this way.
The pattern of the transmittance-difference along the line of the test tubes varied with the direction of the line.
Frequently, the transmittance increased or decreased either in a regular or in a zigzag manner along the direction of the line.
The pattern was repeatedly found to be pronounced in the direction extending north and south, and in most cases it varied with the day of the observation.
Identical phenomena were demonstrated with test tubes containing culture solution in which Proteus vulgaris had been inoculated. In this case, analogous patterns were observed in the difference of the growth rate of the bacteria. It was found that on a certain day when the pattern of the protein solution was very pronounced in the direction north and south, the pattern of the bacterial growth was likewise very striking in the same direction.
This phenomenon suggests that the X-agent has a tendency to progress along a certain direction which may change more or less from time to time.