Date of Award

6-1931

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Dentistry

Abstract

The oldest of all the bacteriological sciences is dental bacteriology. The first bacteria seen by the human eye were those found in the mouth. Loenwenhoeck (in 1683) with the aid of lenses ground by himself saw and described 'animalcules' found in the white substance between teeth. His descriptions can be classified from a morphological standpoint. The rod-shaped organisms "with a lively motion" and smaller ones with circular movements were, no doubt, motile and non-motile bacilli. Organisms with twisting motions were vibrous or spirilla. The smallest ones he describes as being oblong or globular and swarm in large numbers similar to gnats. These must of course be cocci. The main mass consists of parallel lines of the same thickness and motionless. This was undoubtedly Leptothrix buccalis. From his drawings Spirillum sputigenum can be recognized.

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