J Exp MedJ. Exp. MedThe Journal of Experimental Medicine0022-10071540-9538The Rockefeller University Press198685172128205ArticleFURTHER STUDIES ON THE BEHAVIOR OF BACTERIA TOWARD GENTIAN VIOLETChurchmanJohn W.From the Department of Bacteriology of Cornell University Medical College, New York.30419213355695812111920Copyright © Copyright, 1921, by The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research New YorkThis article is distributed under the terms of an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike–No Mirror Sites license for the first six months after the publication date (see http://www.rupress.org/terms). After six months it is available under a Creative Commons License (Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 4.0 Unported license, as described at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).

1. A gentian-positive strain (a "strain-within-a-strain" variant) has been isolated from a pure culture of a gentian-negative organism. This observation corresponds to that of a "strain-within-a-species" variant, occurring in the enteritidis group, reported some years ago. 2. The Gram reaction and the gentian reaction do not depend, as has been assumed in previous publications, on the specific affinity of the gentian-positive organisms for a portion of the gentian violet molecule, since certain Gram-negative strains are shown to be gentian-positive. 3. Dead bacterial bodies interposed between living bacteria and gentian violet media partially negative the effect of the dye on Gram-positive organisms and allow them to grow. This seems to be either a phenomenon of filtration or of stimulation of growth. 4. The application of these facts by the method of divided plates shows a number of difficulties in the application of laboratory studies to chemotherapeutics, which would escape observation by ordinary methods.