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Abstract
SUMMARY: The factors affecting the growth of bacteria in fresh water stored in different containers, usually glass, were studied in order to reconcile the different results which have been obtained by previous workers. Growth occurred in two sitesin—the body of the water and at the surface of the container—and was affected by the constituents of the container.
Bacteria invariably grew on the sides of the container and wrere presumably dependent for their multiplication on having a site of attachment; thus the increase in the count per unit volume which occurred when bottles were vigorously shaken was greater in small bottles than in large bottles, and was due to removal of some of the cells attached to the walls. Bacterial growth was stimulated by soluble chemical substances in the wralls of containers; Bohemian glass and the glass of measuring cylinders were stimulatory; Pyrex glass and fused silica containers were inactive. It is probable that under the conditions of their experiments some workers have been observing bacteria which were dependent on the glass surface for their existence and which were unable to multiply in the body of the water sampled.
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