LIFE CYCLES IN BACTERIA

Abstract

The argument is presented that inasmuch as life cycles are a law of Nature, they should be anticipated in bacteria. Extreme pleomorphism with sudden changes and irregularities in life cycles should be expected in bacteria, because 1-celled organisms are of all forms most exposed to external influences. Monomorphism was a theory of convenience which held in check the confusion which would have arisen in the new science if attention had been diverted to the intricate problems of life cycles instead of being applied to practical problems at hand. On account of the minute size of bacteria the difficulties in demonstrating metamorphoses are correspondingly great. A number of the most convincing reports of metamorphoses in bacteria are reviewed, with the conclusion that the open question is no longer as to whether metamorphoses occur in bacteria, but as to whether all bacteria undergo metamorphosis and how many changes a single species may undergo.