Evidence that Amputation of Bacterial Flagella Does Not Affect Motility

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Abstract
Further support is presented for the author''s theory that motile bacteria do not move by means of flagella but by means of undulating, gyrating contortions of their sprial-shaped bodies. An actively motile culture of Salmonella typhosa, grown in suitable medium with each individual showing a good tail in the sunlight dark-ground microscope, had the tails taken off by subjecting a portion of the culture to vigorous shaking for 15 min. in the Griffin and Tetlock Microid Flask shaker. Subsequent microscopic examination revealed absence of tails but active motility by the gyrating undulating movement. The expt. was repeated 6 times on different cultures with the same results. It is concluded that flagella are not motor organs.
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