The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-15 00:00:00

- • - -
THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION, 1 which, any which reaches the diameter of a human red-
The fortieth annual meeting of the British Association :blood-corpuscle' or about 1.3200 th of an inch, is a giant
commenced at Liverpool yesterday., when Professor Stokes It is only by bearing these facts in mind, that we can
vacated the presidential chair in favour of Professor deal fairly with the remarkable statements and specula,
. Huxley, whose inaugural address was anticipated With Jetfoils put forward by Buffon and Needham in the middle
of the eighteenth century. Led by various theoretical
great interest, Preparations for the comfort and con-
venience of the numerous visitors had been devised -on a considerations , which I cannot now discuss, but
liberal scale by the authorities and inhabitants of the which looked promising enough in the lights of that day,
hospitable town. The arrangements, too, for the business . Buffon and Needham doubted the applicability of Redi's
portion of the proceedings had - been carefully
hypothesis to the infusinial animalcules, and Needham
very properly endeavoured to put the question to an ex-
associates' tickets had been brisk,
organised. Though the sale of members' and
perimental test. • In _much .of ' his work Needham was
it was not thought
associated with Buffon, and the results of their experi-
that the gathering would be a very large one.
The first meeting of the General Committee was held at
ments fitted in admirably with the great French naturalist's
hypothesis of " organic molecules," aecordin to which,
one o'clock, under the presidency of Professor Stokes. e
life.is the indefeasible property of certain indestructible There was a considerable attendance of members, amongst
them being Professor Huxley, Professor Phillips, Pro-
molecules of matter, which exist in all living things, and
fessor Rankin, Sir John Bowring, Professor Tdal Mr,
have inherent activities by which they are distinguished
Bateman; C.E., Sir Roderick Murchison Professor
from not living matter. It will be perceived that this
Roscoe, Mr. Gassiot Mr. Glaisher yn
ex-Con-
doctrine is by no means identical - with Abiogenesis, with
structor Royal Navy. The la Mr. Reedssistant Secretary which it is often confounded. On this hypothesis, a piece
'of beef,- or a handful of hay, is dead only in a limited
read the minutes of the last meeting held at
sense. The beef is dead ox, and the hay is dead grass;
Exeter, which were duly aproved and confirmed • but the " organic molecules" of the beef or the hay are
and in reply to one of the members who complained of not dead, but are ready to manifest their vitality as soon
the course pursued ;at Exeter, it ,was stated that ample
provision had this year been made for the. use of the use as the bovine or herbaceous shrouds lu which they
e
of anthropologists holding a separate section, The. report are imprisoned are rent by the Macerating
of the council was read by the secretary. Amongst Its action of watet, Tice hypothesis therefore mast
suggestions was one to the effect that the place where the he elasaffied under Xenogenesia rather than
Association meets should be decided upon a year earlier under Abiogenesis, finch as it was, I think
than at resent. It is propos4 therefore that two of the it will appear, to those who will be just enough to remem-
invitation ps
to be received at the present ,
meeting be ac. her that it was propounded before the birth of modern
cepted, one for 1871 and another for 1872. The chemistry and of modern optical arts, to be a most inge-
report also recommended that the association nious and suggestive speculation. Once more, an Italian,
should obtain (if its relations with the Observatory at the Abb6 Spallanzani, a worthy successor and represen-
tative of Redi in his acuteness, his ingenuity,' and his
Kew be discontinued as proposed at the end of 1872) a
central office in London. This proposal was loudly learning, subjected the experiments and the conclusions
cheered by the members present. Prefessor Phillips p that ro-
of Needham to a searching criticism. It might be true
Needh
posed the adoption of the report, and his resoluton being as he hadam's experiments yielded results such
described, but did they bear out
seconded by Mr. Galion, was carried, subject to a
his arguments ? It must be admitted that the
slight amendment affecting one of the rules.
The treasurer's account was then presented, experiments and arguments of Spallanzani furnish a
and the report of the Kew committee read. complete and a crushing reply to those of Needham. But
the advance of science soon shewed that though Needham
large number of the members proceeded to St. George's
At the conclusion of the General Committee meeting
might be quite wrong, it did not follow that Spallanzani
was quite right. Modern chemistry, the birth of the
Hall, where the statue of Mr. Gladstone, erected by sub- latter half of the eighteenth century, grew apace, and
scription, was unveiled by the Mayor. Opinions differ as
soon found herself face to face with the great problems
to the success of the artist, Mr. W. Adams, in catching
which biology had vainly tried to attack without her help,
the happiest''likeness of the Premier, but taken as
The presence of free oxygen appeared to be one of the
whole, there is no doubt that the statue is. one The that will be generally appreciated by. the public, conditions of the. existence of life, and of those singular
changes in organic matters which • are known as
It pourtrays the Premierln the robes of the Chancellor of fermentation and putrefaction. The question of
the Exchequer and it is placed in close proximity, to the
late Earl of Derby, Sir Robert Peel, and Mr. Robert the generation of infusory animalcules assented to
Stephenson, The mayor, in performing the ceremony of b Needham thus passed into a new phase.
uncovering the statue, . paid a warm tribute to A The battle had to be fought again. It was needful to
Gladstone and referred with pride to his connexinr l , repeat the experiments under conditions which would
o
with Lancashire, He was followed with speeches from
make sure that neither the oxygen of the air, nor the
Professor Huxley and other visitors and inhabitants of thei
composition of the organic, matter was alteredn such a
borough. - - matter as to interfere with the existence of life. Schulze
Colonel
and Schwann took up the question from this point of view
Wilson Patten, M. P and Sir Stafford Northcote in 1836 and 1837. Contemporaneously with these
Sir John Lubbock, Mr, Sackvi.lle Russell, and other ;dies: investigations - a remarkable discovery was made
tinguished visitors are iu Liverpool, for the purpose of by Cagniard de la Tour. He found that common
attending the Congress. A pleasing indication-of the yeast is composed of a vast accumulation of minute
success of the meeting is afforded by the fact that upWards
plants. The fermentation of must, or of wort,
of 2,000 tickets had been sold on Tuesday evening. Last
evening the new President delivered the annual address in the fabrication of wine and of beer, is always accom-
panied by the rapid growth and multiplication of these
in the Philharmonic Hall, to a brilliant audience.
Amongst those on the platform and in the room were Torulce. Thus fermentation, in so far as it was acCom-
Earl Derby, Earl Stanhope, Sir J. Colonel panied by the development of miscroscopical organisms in.
Wilson Patten, M.P., Mr. Cross, M.P., Sir Lubbock,R. Murchi- enormous numbers, became assimilated to the decomposi-
tion of an infusion of ordinary animal or vegetable
son, Dr. Hooker, Professor Phillips, Sir Stafford North-
cote, and Sir J. Bowring. matter; and it was an obvious suggestion that the
organisms were, in some way or other, the causes both of
Professor HUXLEY received an exceedingly warm recep- fermentation and of putrefaction. The chemists, - with
tion when, Professor Stokes having vacated the chair,' he Berzelius and Liebig at their head, at first laughed
rose to commence his address. He said :—My Lords, this idea to scorn ; but in 1843, a man • then
Ladies, and Gentlemen,—lt has long been the cue- very young, who has since performed the un-
torn for the newly installed President of the British exampled feat of attaining to high eminence alike in
Association for the Advancemeed of Science to take ad-, Mathematics, Physics, and'Physiology,—l speak of the
vantage of the elevation of the position in which the stiff- illustrious Helmholtz—reduced the matter to the test of
rages of his colleagues had, for the time, placed him, and, experiment by a method alike elegant and conclusive."
casting his eyes around the horizon of the scientific world, Helmholtz separated a putrefying, or a fermenting liquid.
to report to them what could be seen from his watch- from one which was simply putreacible, or fermentable, by
tower. I propose to endeavour to follow this ancient pre- a membrane, which allowed the fluids to pass through and
cedent, in a manner suited to the . limitations of my become intermixed, but stopped the passage of solids,
knowledge and of my capacity. I shall Helmholtz's experiments narrowed the issue to this :: that
not presume to attempt a panoramic, survey which excites fermentation and putrefaction, and at the
of
the -wer:-I of science, nor even to give a sketch same time gives rise to living forms in a fermentable,
of what is-doing in the one great province of biology, or putrescibie, fluid, is not a gas and is not a diffusible
with some portions of which my ordinary occupations fluid ; therefore it is either a colloid, or it is matter divided
render-me familiar. But I shall endeavour to put before ' into very minute solid particles. The researches of
• ou the history of the rise and progress of a single bio- Schroeder and Dusch in 1854, and of Schroeder alone, in
logical doctrine ; and I'shall try to give some notion of the 1859 cleared up this point by experiments which are
fruits, both intellectual and practical, which we owe, simply refinements upon those of Redi. It has been a
directly or indirectly, to the working out, by seven gene- common objection of Abiogenists that, if the doctrine of
rations of patient and laborious investigators, of the Biogeny is true, the air must be thick with germs;
thought which arose, more than two centuries ago, in the and they regard this as the height of absur-
.
uund of a sagacious and observant Italian dity. lint Nature • occasionally is exceedingly
naturalist. It is a matter of every day experience unreasonable, and Professor Tyndall has proved
that it is difficult to prevent many articles of food from that this particular absurdity may nevertheless
lie/ea:nine covered with mould e that fruit, mend be• a reality. . Gls has demonstrated that ordinary,air is
enough to all appea,rance, often contains grubs at the no better than a sort of stirabout of excessively minute
oore; that meat, left to itself in the air, is apt to putrify ; solid. particles i that these particles are almost wholly
and swarm with magyote. The philosophers of Wig/say, , indestructible try heat ; and that they are strained off,
interrogated sin to the ianee of these phenomena, were and the air rendered optically pure, by being passed
provided with a ready end a plausible aasiver, The through cotton-wool. But -it remains yet in the order of
axiom of ancient science, "that the corruption of one logic, though not of history, to show that among these
thing is the birth of another," hail its popular embodi- - solid destructible particles, there really do exist berms
tne.nt in the notion that a seed dies before the young pleat : capable of giving rise to the development of living
forms
springs from it ; a belief so widespread and so fixed, that in suitable menstrua. This piece of work
Saint Paul appeals to it in one of the most splendid out- was done by AL Pasteur in those beautiful
bursts of his fervid eloquence t— researches which will ever render his name' famous.
4 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, He strained air through cotton-wool, and found, as
except it die." Schroeder and Dusch had done, that it contained nothing,
The proposition that life may, and does, proceed competent to give rise to the development of life in -fluids
from that - which - has no life, then, was held highly fitted for that purpose. But the important further
alike by the philosophers, the poets, and the people, of the links in the chain of evidence added by Pasteur are three.
most: enlightened nations, eighteen hundred years ago ; In the first place, he subjected to miscroscopic examine-
and it remained the accepted doctrine of learned and un- Unit the cotton-wool which had served as :trainer,
learned Europe, through the Middle Ages, down even to and found that sundry bodies, clearly recoani-
the seventeenth century. It is commonly counted among sable as germs, were among the solid parti-
the many Merits of our great countryman, Harvey, that cues strained off. Secondly, he proved that- these germs
he was the first to declare the opposition of fact to vene- were competent to give rise to living forms by simply
rable authority in this; as in otner matters ; but I can sowing them in a solution fitted for their development,
discover no ;notification for this wide spread maim. And, thirdly, he shewed, that the incapacity of air strained
The main concern of Harvey's wonderful little treatise is through cotton-wool to give rise to life, was not due to any
not, with generation, iii the physiological sense, at all, occult change effected in constituents of the air by thebut with developnient ; and his great object is the estab- wool, by proving that the cotton wool might be die-
- ment' of the doctrine of epiaenesio. Redi did not trouble reused with altogether, and perfectly free access left
himself much with speculative consideration; but at- between the exterior air and that in the experimental flask.
tacked particular cases of what was supposed to be To sum up, the effect of the lohg chain of evidence afforded
:"-spontaneous generation " experimentally. , Here are by souse experiments of Pasteur may be stated as follOwS :
dead animals, or pieces of meat, says he ; I exposethem It is demonstrable, . that a fluid eminently fit for the de-
to the air in hot weather, and in a few days they swarm velopment of the lowest forms of life, but which contains
with maggots, You tell me that these are generated in neither germs, nor any protein compound, gives rise to
the dead flesh ; but if I put similar bodies, while quite living things in great abundance, if it is exposed., to
fresh, into a jar, and tie some fine gauze over the top of ordinary air; while no such development takes plaee, if
the jar, not a maggot makes-its appearance, while the dead the air with which it is in contact is mechanically leeed
substances, nevertheless, putrifyjustin the same way as be- from the solid particles, which ordinarily float in it, .and
fore. It is obvious, therefore, that the maggots are sot gene- which may be made visible by appropriate means. It is
rated by the corruption of the meat; and that the cause demonstrable that the great majority of these particles
-•: of their formation must be a something which is kept are destructible by hat, and that some of them
away by gauze. But gauze will not keep away aeriform are germs, or living particles, capable of giving rise to
bodies, or-fluids. This something must, therefore, exist the same forms of life as those which appear when
in the form of solid particles too big to get through the the fluid is exposed to unpurified air. It is demonstrable,
gauze. Nor is one long left in doubt what these solid that inoculation of the experimehtal fluid with a dvq,P,of
particles are ; for the blowflies, attracted by the odour of liquid known to contain living particles, gives rise to the
tho meat, swarm round the vessel, and, urged by same phenomena as exposure to unpurified air. And it is
a powerful but, in this - case misleading instinct, further certain that these living particles are so minute
lay eggs, out of which maggots are immediately that the assumption of their suspension in ordinary 'air
hatched, upon the gauze. The conclusion, therefore, presents not the slightest difficulty. On the contrary,
is unavoidable; the maggots are not generated by the considering their lightness and the wide diffusion of the
Meat, but the eggs which give rise to them are brought organisms which produce them, it is impossible to con-
through the air by the flies. These experiments seem ceive that they should not be suspended in the atmosphere
almost childishly simple, and one wonders how it was in myriads. Thus, the evidence, direct and indirect, in
that no one ever thought of them before. Simple as they favour of Biogenesis for all known forms of :life
are, however, they are worthy of the most careful study, must, I think, be admitted to be of great weight.
for every piece of experimental work since done, in regard On the other side, the sole assertions worthy of attention
to this subject, has been shaped upon the model furnished are, that hermetically sealed fluids, which have been ex-
by the Italian philosopher. As the results of his experi- posed to great and long-continued heat, have sometimes
meats were the same, however varied the nature of the exhibited living forms of low organization when they have
materials lie used, it is not wonderful that their arose in been opened. The first reply that suggests itself is the
Redi's mind a presumption, that in all such cases' of the probability that there must be some error about
seeming production of fife from dead matter,. the real these experiments, because they are performed on an
explanation was the introduction of living germs from enormous scale every day, with quite contrary ' results.
without into that dead matter. And thus the hypothesis I must carefully guard myself against the supposition
that living matter always arises by the agency of pre-ex- that I intend to suggest that no such thing, .as abiogensis
isting living. matter, took definite shape; and had, hence- ever has taken place in the past, or ever will take place in
forward, a right to be considered and a claim to be refuted , the future. With organic chemistry, molecular physics,
in each particular case, before the production -of frying' r and physiology yet in tileirinfAnCyr, and every daymaking
matter in any other way could be admitted by fearful Prodigious strides, I think it would be the height of pre-
reasoners. It will be necessary for me to refer tic, this „gumption for any...lean -to; say -that the conditions under
hypothesis so frequently, that, to save circumlocution, 1 which matter assumes the properties we call " vital' may
shall call it the hypothesis of Biogenesis ; and I phan not some day be artificially brought together. 'All I feel
term the contrary doctrine—that living matter may let4proa justified in affirming is, that I see -no reason for believing
diced by not living matter—the hypothesis of Abiogenesis. that the feat has been.perforined yet. And, looking back
In the seventeenth century, as I have said, the latter was thrOuglathe piodigious vista of the past, I find no record
the dominant view, sanctioned alike by antiquity and of the 'commencemnt of life, and therefore lam devoid
by authority ; and it is interesting to observe that'Redi of any means of- forming a definite conclusion as to the
did not escape the customary tax upon a discoverer of conditions of its appearance. Belief,' in the scientific
having to defend himself against the charge of impugning sense of the word, is a serious matter, and needs strong
the authority of the Scriptures ; for his adversaries de- foundations. To say, therefore, in the admitted absence
dared that the generation of bees from the carcass of A of evidence, that I have anybelief as to the mode in
dead lion is affirmed, in the book of Judges, to have been which the existing forms of life have originated,
the origin of the famous riddle with which Samsou per- would be using , words in a wrong sense. But
plexed the Philistines : expectation is permissible where belief is not ;
" Out of the eater came forth meat and if it were given me to look beyond the
,
abyss of geologically recorded time to the still more And out of the strong came forth sweetnegn,"
Against all odds, however, Redi, strong with the strength remote period when the earth was passing through
of demonstrable fact, did plend'id battle for Biogenesis • physical and chemical condition, which it can no more see
but it is remarkable that he held the doctrine' again than a man can recall his infancy, I- should expect
in a sense which, if he had lived in the to be a witness of the evolution of living protoplasm from
would have caused him to he claasease atmilnoensg, '
nfoortnilisvoingfgr eat simplicity, endowed, like existing Fungi, with
matter. I should expect to see it appear under
the defenders of " spontaneotte generation."
Redi also thought that there were two But the power of determining the formation of new protoplasm
Biogenesis. By the one method, which iswtoh modesi e-
from such matters as ammonium carbonates, oxalates and
6 at o com-
mon and ordinary occurrence, the livinetartrates, alkaline and earthy phosphates, and water,
t gives rise
to offspring which passes through the eaireeParc cycle changes . without the aid of light. That is the expectation to which
as itself—like gives rise to like • and tigis hasl' been termed 4 analogical reasoning leads me ; but I beg you
Aomogowia By the other anode, the living once more to recollect that I have no right to call my
supposed to give rise to offspring which p.ssieelreetteensh opinion anything but an act of philosophical, faith.
ae totally different series of states front those exhibitigeii ' So much for the history of the progress of Itedi's great
! doctrine of Biogeuesie, which appears-to me, with the
by the parent, and did not return into the' cycle -of ti limitations T have expressed, to lee victurirms along the
parent : this is what ought to be added Heteegeeese,, tine t('
;
offspring twine altogether, and permanently, unlike the' whole lase at the present day. As regards the second
problem offered to us by Redi whether ,Xenogeeesis ob-
Parent. The 'term Ileterogenesis, however, has unfor:
Innately been used in- a. d:lferent sense, and M. aillae_ tains, side by side with Homogenesis i whether, that is,
there exist not only the ordinary living things, giving
Edwards has therefore substituted for it ..YcnorieTteBis,
trte to offspring which run through the same cycle as
which means the generation of something foreign.
atemselyes, but also others, 'traducing offspring which
The progress of the hypothesis of Bioeenesis was .triiim-
researches
ha totally different character from, themselves, the
)hart and unchecked for nearly a century. The applica-
es of two centuries have led to a different result.
Con of the microscope to anatomy in the hands
aoifisCriirieeilivi: But irfee
approxivineattlitf,n to pathology, it offers us some remarkable
Leeuwexthoek, Swammerdarn, Lyonet, .
lleammtr, and other illustrion's investigators of -nature! ns to true Xenozenesia As I have already
mentioned, it has been known since the time of Vallis-
of that day, disThyed such a . •I, -, 0 • .atimi • •
meri and of Iteatunur that galls in plants; end tumours in
coin eaece,y of orhanis
in the lowest 11 ''
an ininutest forms and everywhere are by insect ~ .
revealed Ruch
. a wodie Vi f ' '•
. - ' ' cattle,
caused
which lay their e(,gs in those
ot y u provision for their parts of the animal or vegetable frame of which these
multiplication be el, • of one sort or another, that morbid structure's are outgrowths. Under the influence
the hypothesis of ~edits
)4enesis began to •
appear nut only of certain external otnelitions, elements of the body, which
untrue, bliiitheaibistNirdee:ailittn.di, iaii:ltdieepnliddle of' the eighteenth
century,should have developed in due subordination to its general
Lion, it was almoqi,iilt,i,v.erTst,t,l_.y, Mutton tools up the ques- plait, set up for themselves and apply the nourishment
aisel.eeitee. But the skill ivilic'll ti,ey receive to their own pm-wises. From such
century ;:oott innocent productions as Corte) and warts, there are all
to•efatdieefilitilt7ii 1.,‘ nii,-;•,,5i,',.t.:'.,e.:;'14-'ee''Ll'
41X) diameter,
wa's a c:cci ,1.,:.!, i-'l.f.' Of tho opticia.t;lflitSilii day ; and, at gradations to the setious tumours. ivhiell, by their mere
size and the mechanical obstruction they cause, destroy
the .93n1,,' time, by no means trustworth
lie are developed;- •
fyino.-power of 4.)0 diameters, ev,„,Y.',.. Rut a ru."l:.tili- , the. organism out of which t y -iN hile,
deur len rution . finally, in those terrible structures known ai cancers, the i
reaches the exquisite per-feel:ion of our 'no
louse', hardly suffices for the mere diseernurnace;init}lt :tbno'rmal growth has acquired powers of reproduction and'
smallest forms of life. A filtered infusion of hay, allowed to multiplicatiou, and is only morphologically distieguishable
stand for two days, will swarm with living things, among, from the parasitic worm, the life of which is neither