, 1870-10-09

isus which proaEce them, i: is impossible to
conceive that they shonld not be ansnonded
in the atnosphs re in msrilds%
SCIENTIFIC FAITH ..-...
! think it wnuld be tho height OF pre'uclp-
ton for any uau to a1v tll.t til" condlt1lns
under which na.ter as-unes tho prorssties
we call =. vital may not e0tae day be a1tla-
cially brought together. All feel jnstili.l
in affirming i4, that I sec no reason for Do
1ieving that tho feat has been performed yet.
And, looking back over the past. and finding
devoid Of any mezns Of Turning definite
conclusion as TO the condition Of its appear
.nce. Belief, in the scientific sense, i. seEl-
Gus matter, and neela strong found1siou5-
To esy tbat have any belief - to the
mode IN which the existing forms Of lite ha7e
sense. Bat expectation is permissible where
lel,sf Is not and it it were given TO me to
to look beyond the abyrs OF geological!y re-
corded time to tho etiil moro remote period
when the earth was passing through physical
and chemical conditions. which it can no more
see again than man can recall his infancy,
should expect to be witneEa Of the evolu-
ton OF living rrotopIasm frnm not living
matter. ehoul1 expect to see it appe,r nn-
der forms Of great simplicity, endowed: like
existing fungi. With the power OF determining
tie formation Of new pTotoplasm from such
matters a. ammonium, carbonates, oxa1ates,
and tartrates, aikslinc aud earthy phosphates,
and wa'er, without the aid Of light. That Is
tie expectation to which snnlosicat reasoning
LEAFS ma; but EbeE you once more 10 retol-
!cct that hare no right to call my ovlnton
ANYTHING hut an act Of philosophical faith
coSIAotoS AND INFECTION.
The appendix Of the Twelfth Report Of the
Medical Officer Of the Fnyy Council contains
an rseav "' On the Intimate Pathology OF
onsa: ion, !,y DR.. Buidon Sanae,so4, which
il one OF tile rlr Arrest, most comprehensive,
,nd uel9-reasnnt,l j disct,seinns VI a grea, ques-
ton that has ccue under my no:i.c for : long
time. It contains evidence to show that the
active element in vaccine lymph j. non-dinus-
it1c, and cHnssts OF minute particles, not ex-
CT eding 1-2000th of. IN inch in diameter. Two
Of the most destructive epizootic diseases
sheer-pox and g1anders-sse shown to be
dependent for their existence and psopaSa-
tiou upon extremely small living ra1-
ticlts, TO Which the name Of micfozymea
il applied. An auiu.A suffering from
either is q source OF infection to o.hars,
for the came reason, that tub Of fesmensing
beer il capable Of preopsga,sng its fesments'
solid living particles which are efficient. :he
liquid in Which they ilnat and At the exp.nse
OF which they live being altogether passive.
It il question Of Immense importance to de-
termine whether ttcse microzymes are tho re-
Hnlss Of Homogeneous or 1enogoneels; Or. in
ing only by the development Of pre-e1issiaS
germs, or of being the results Of .condi-
tiors operating upon the body IN which they
a,o fonrd. A parasite ma@ lie stamped oat by
destroying 'ts gssma: but product OF liseaaa
cat oniy be annihi!atea By removing tho con-
ditious which give rise to it.
PARASITES or INSECTS.
II ~ q Tell-e-tablishcG fact that certain
contagious epidemic diseases, both OF plants
and animan, are caused by the growth Of
minute orgsnisms. Tho smut. OF Nhca. il
well.kpown example. The common house
within its body Of fungus. the Eu.pusa mas
cr, which. iu t1iee, still apparently healthy, is
found to cxist in the form OF minute corpus
eles which float IL tho blood. These multiply
snd Iengthen into tilanlouts at tho expense Of
tle tfy = substance. aud when they have Killed
rlosca, which, falling upon other flies, germ;-
nate, penetrate tho skin, md yield the 1oating
corpu-cles rLen they have entered tho body.
Tho silkworm ha long been known to be tie
sul Ject Of = very fata', contagious, and infec-
tio,,s discarc d.seare called the ruuscarIi2e.
| fuugue in the body Of tho larra. hut Of late
| years still more serious disease has broken
| out among them. In the year 1853 il broke
ont iu the Sonth Of France with such violence
that in 1886 the nilk crop WAS reduced to
third OF the amount which it had reached iu
| AHJJ. ! ul@ |1EalH lQt 04lt &uAL kue hEGll
numhero OF Peppie engaged in growing sik arc
some thirty millions sterling poorer than they
might Lave been, but Slso tllat tho looms OF
| Ly ons have lacked employment. and that for
years euforcea illencas aud mi=ety ilavo bcsn
the portion Ut c vast population which WAS fJr-
II. rly industrious and we'll to 10. In 1855 tho
French Government appointed commissioners
to inquire into the subject, among whom was
II. dc Qnatttfagts... Il il interesting to OBJ
scrvc that tllis distinguished naturalist, ir his
elaborate study Of tho lsbrine, arrived At the
cou'ie'ioa that It Is IN eEeE5 respect compay
aile to :hc eholera among saarlind. But it
tidczs from cholera in being hereditary, aal
in beiEg, undez como circumstances, con-
tasiuun as we'll as infectious. Tho ltslan
naturalist. Hlippf. discovered in the blood OF
the affected Ei}kwcE1us . multitude Of cylin-
aHtal ccrpusclcs, each about 1.GU00,h Of IN
icels long. These bodies have been named by
l-e'ert psnhis;eEhyson, because they swarm
into tLe undeyelope:l eggs of tie female mo:L.
II. Tasteur las devised E,eAns Ut extirpas-
ing The disease which has proved to be co1l-
rletely successful wherever It las been prop
erly ca1tiod out. Analogous evidence il fur
ulshed by the Investigations Of Professor Lis
tons; and it seems probable that the surgeon
who caves most lives will be ho who best
wolLa ont the practical consequences Of Ae
Lypo,Lesis Of HEIDI.
r111rT OF SCIENCE.
leenmeneea os asking yon to follow na in
tsactiss region. Our p:th has lain chiefly IN
Il lsrd aowirg with noullness. Nevertheless
you will haso observed that there soon sp-
peszed on tho right hand and On the left
te!ds laden with harvest of golden grain,
MSs e e'nssf'''s mefs sdf mt those pr,ss ,ss'
o. men wi1l ADMIT N' to i.ve s- 7aine-
| Camcl-. meueY and life. The direct l}-s to