Author of the classic Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert famously declared: âTo be stupid, selfish, and have good health are three requirements for happiness, though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost.â. Albert Schweitzer said âHappiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.â.
1 A gross refers to a group of 144 items (a dozen dozen or a square dozen).  A great gross refers to a group of 1728 items (a dozen gross or a cubic dozen).
1. Direct microscopic counts are possible using special slides known as counting chambers. Dead cells cannot be distinguished from living ones. Only dense suspensions can be counted (>107 cells per ml), but samples can be concentrated by centrifugation or filtration to increase sensitivity. A variation of the direct microscopic count has been used to observe and measure growth of bacteria in natural environments.