National Republican., 1883-09-05
THE oEL1uLAn THEORY.
Intcrestlng Lecture by Prof Frank Baker
at the Opening OF the Georgetown Med
teal COLLEGE.

Interesting Lecture by Prof Frank Baker
at the Opening OF the Georgetown Med
teal College.
The lecture hall Of tho Georgetown uni.
versity school of medicine was we'll filled
Monday night with select audience, not
few ladies being present The occasion
was the formal opening of the term Of
1sS3-'Si. Rev. Father Doonan, presi-
dent Of the university, briefly announced the
object of the occasion, and after ieelingly
alluding to the death of Dr. Ashford, gave
way to DIR. Ioveoy, who briefly announced
the changes in the faculty--Dr. Beach bcoom-
ing professor Of surgeryj Dr. Baker, professor
Of anatomy; DIR. Loveioy professor or theory
and practice, relieving DIR. Busey, who had
been persuaded to remain as emeritus pro-
fessor of practice and Of clinical medicine.
Dr. Magruder becomes professor of nateria
medica, and DR.. Llewellyn Eliot demonstrator
Of anatomy.
DIR. Loveoy then introduced Prof. Frank
Baker, whose address on anatomy was q
paper Of great value as an anatomical reviow,
including y brief, but we'll digested epitomo
of the cellular theory, and also a literary
gem. Whatever opinions are entertained by
the profession as to the dryness Of anatomy,
the laity cannot comprehend how 1t can be
dry under the eloquent and fascinating in
struction Of DR.. Baker. He very briefly re-
viewed the progress of anatomy from Hippo
crates and Galen through Yesslius, who first
put this branch Of medicine upon tho
plane that led to science down to Schwann,
who actually made it science with his
cellular theory. He depicted In graphic
terms the contest waged by the old school
with the new theory, aud how even from the
arms of its opponents it snatched victory.
He recitod how Schwann in 1929, then O
student at Bonn, became acquainted with the
off 81 fap, M,ll md khaN
acquaintance determined to study medi.
cine. Anatomy became his special study
| in silent enthusiasm and poverty. I'm
aided except by will and genius, he
slowly evolved the theory Of the coll, whose
investigation will be likely to relieve
medicine from the reproach 80 long hanging
over her that her practice was but empiric-
ism, her science but random guess, and the
skill of her most foremost SONS but lucky
"hit." The cell theory was enunciated at the
same time by Schlieder,o of Vienna, in appli-
cation to plants The theory had been dimly
apprehended by, others. MalpiRhi Oker aud
Lamarck had esch announced it, however, in
didn't apprehend it clearly. And oven
Schwannf loaded down his theory with nom
essentials that have had to be removed. The
cell theory briefly described Is this, as con-
ceived by Schwann:
| n. The tissues of all organized beings are
II
minute, with an absolute unity Of structure
pervading the whole complex system Of Or
| gans and tissues.
2. The final units of structure are bladder
| like bodies or cells, having wall and fluid
or semi-fuid contents, within which is
usually dark spot, called nucleus, that in
like manner may contain another dark spot,
called the nucleolus.
3. Those parts of the body which connot be
shown to be cellular are derived from tho
cells either by metamorphosis or secretion.
This is Schwann's cellular theory as he
enunciated it. 1t has been anslyzed and
sifted With all its errors, which, after all,
were errors of reasoning and not of observa-
tion, Frey calls it the greatest discovery ever
made in anatomical science. 1t is the dis
covery of the absolute identity in plan of
everything living.
The enumeration Of the cellular theory led
to the theory of protoplasm, and this in turn
to the theory of minute free organisms out
side which, by entering the body and having
similar food desires as the cells, produce
disease by diminishing tho supply of susie
nance to those cells. Some of these mi
mute organisms have been detected.
Koch has apprehended the terrible
| monster that produces consumption,
Pasteur has lassoed the diaboli cal microcosm
that causes hydrophobia. Hydenrich has
located the foreign invader that produces ret
lapsing fever. And through this theory will
at last be built up science of medicine,
where empiricism will be thing of the past
and the physician infallibly diagnose the
complaint which he will unerringly cure.
Throughout the whole lecture, which was
exceedingly valuable and interesting DR..
Baker kept enchained the attention Of his
audience. s Ia.
Upon tho conclusion of the lecture DR..
Lovejoy announced that the regular exercises
Of the school would commence to-day at 6
o'clock p. m.