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76 THE MICRO-ORQANISMS OF THE HUMAN MOUTH. ;

since I was able now and then to find cells of this organism,
which were composed of a series of short comma-like joints, in
my own specimens. "^^ The fact that the comma bacilli of the
mouth take up coloring matter so much more easily than do the
Spirochetes, does not, however, favor this supposition. I have
also referred to this spirillum in Klebs's Archives for 1882, Vol.
XVI, where a diagram of it will be found on Plate VII, Fig. 2.
Furthermore, F. Y. Clark regarded it as the cause of dental
caries as early as 1879, and called it '" dental l)aeterium." He
describes it as " half U-shaped, having screw-like movements."
According to my experience it is to be found in every mouth.

Fig. 28. Fig. 24.

1^,1

;\^|

CuRVKD Bacilli, Spirill.\, etc., SvI^
FROM THE Mouth fe^ =^'
Curved
1100:1.
Bacilli in a
Dentinal
Canal.
1100 : 1.
mixed with numerous other bacteria (Fig. 23). It frequently
occurs in extraordinary numbers, exceeding all other forms put
together, especially in cases where for some reason or other
a slight hypera^mia of the gums has supervened. If a pointed
instrument be introduced under the reddened gums, any desirable
quantity of comma bacilli and Spirochetes may always be ob-
tained. Between the teeth and in cavities of decay I have found
it much more rarely. ISTow and then variously curved and
twisted micro-organisms are met with in the dentinal tubules
the irregularity of the curves leads us to the inference that in
most of such cases they are due only to the contracted space
which does not admit of the organisms growing in straight lines
(Fig. 24). Although I obtained nearly pure material in several