Page:Bergey's manual of determinative bacteriology.djvu/38

 familiar animal or plant in each language there will be coined a name. Usually the name for the same organism will be different in each language. For example, we have in English Oak, in German Eiche, in Latin Quercus, etc. For many less common kinds, however, there may be no such vernacular names developed. There have been, of course, many casual or vernacular names given to kinds of bacteria. In English we speak of the tubercle bacillus, the typhoid germ, the gonococcus, the Welch bacillus, the golden pus coccus, and many others. Similarly, we find in German Typhusbazillus and in French bacille typhique, enterocoque, etc. Not infrequently scientific names may be adopted into a modern language and converted into vernacular names. For example, the English name aster and the scientific generic name Aster are applied to the same group. This is frequently a convenience, and in general this practice is to be commended. For example, many of the "scientific" generic names used in bacteriology are also used as names in English and other languages. This adaptation is particularly convenient when the organisms in the group under discussion are of importance and are frequently referred to in the literature. Custom and nomenclatural rules suggest certain discretion and appropriateness in the use of these casual or vernacular names. The following suggestions, based upon nomenclatural precedent and custom, should prove useful to the student.

1. The name of a genus is a noun in the singular. It is not a collective noun and should never be used with a plural verb. Do not use such an expression as "The Salmonella are abundant."

2. However, custom since the beginning of binomial nomenclature has sanctioned the use of the plural of generic names. One may say "The Salmonellae (Corynebacteria, Rhizobia, Sarcinae, Bacilli) are." These Latin plurals are used with the meaning "The species of the genus Salmonella (etc.) are." They do not connote the existence of more than one genus Salmonella.

3. Custom has also sanctioned the use of the generic name in the singular in an expression such as "This Sarcina is yellow" with the meaning "This species of Sarcina is yellow."

4. The Latin plural of a generic name should be employed whenever the name is used as indicated in 2 above. "The Salmonellas or Sarcinas are ..." should be avoided because of the use of the English plural endings.

5. An English (vernacular) name may be coined from any generic name. This is done usually only for genera that are under lengthy discussion or of considerable economic significance.

6. An English, or vernacular, name of a genus may be used also in the plural, as in "the corynehacteria are . . ." with the meaning "The species of corynebacterium under consideration." When a Latin generic name is converted into the English vernacular, either the English or the Latin plural may be used. Perhaps the Latin plural is the better choice, but one finds "The salmonellas are ... ." Note that when used as a vernacular (English) word the generic name is never regarded as a proper noun and is not capitalized or italicized.

More than one form of a name may be derived in English (vernacular) from a