Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1900-01-13

the latter bearing the same relation to
q sea urchin as a ta1lpole does to a
frog
Professor Loeb's announcement OF
his experiments, and the belief to
which he is forced, practically establish
"a new theory of the reproduction of
species. According To this, the union
of two elements is not necessary for
reproduction. but any cell may divide
and reproduce.
This throws at once what may be
most important light on the subject Of
cancers and of dermoid cysts.
with regard to cancer. l can say
nothing" says Prof Loeb. Others,
my colleagues. are working on that.
BUT the rest, the development of the
unfertilized egg, that is an assured
fact. / believe an immaculate concep-
ton may be from natural causes. The
less scientist says about that now
the better. 1t is q wonderful subject.
and i'm many ways an awful one.
THAT the human species may be
made artificially to reproduce itself by
the withdrawal of chemical restraint
by other than natural means is a mat
ter we do not like to contemplate.
But we have drawn a great step
y
and may already gee ahead of us the
day when scientist. experimenting
with chemicals in q test tube. may see
them unite and form a substance which
shall live and NOV and reproduce it
self.
1T will be the i.st protoplasmic cell,
the origin of all life, which was pro-
duced in the test tube of nature ages
ago by the union In the course of the
worlds evolution az the same chemical
substances with which he will have
worked"
II the discoveries are verified by
further experimentation. the possibility
is that science may explain the miracle
of immaculate conception. over which
long and bitter contests have been
waged. Centuries ago scientists and
thcologians took up the quarrel. and
they have continued il to the present
day. Biologists studying the phenom-
ena OF life declared that IL was chem
ically created in the first place. but
that man was the result of an age long
evolution which haze brought about the
impossibiity of REPRODUCTION without
the union of the MAZE and the opposite
element. Ii was Impossible from their
standpoint for woman to become a
mother from any power in herself.
Theologians, on the other hand, have
held that. whatever might be the usual
manner. in the case of Mary there was
no other fatherhood than that OF the
Almighty. They have remained true
to a belief in this, even when abandon
ing belief in the miracles performed
by the Saviour.
His discovery tina; a solution of mag
nesium salt caused the development of
sea urchip eggs ir,o normal plutel led
the scientists at Woods Holl to a long
series OF experiments TO find what eff
feet the solution had on other cells. A
Jellyfsh. or sea anemone. was taken
as an Illustration. This is a trans
parent jellylike mass that moves
through the sea. pulsating regularly.
waving with each motion a set OF
streamers which drive food toward its
stomach.
Norman already had shown that
when this ring of nbres was cut away
pulsation stopped, and it was there
fore dubbed the nerve ring" and was
believed TO be the centre of motive
power in the animal. This has now
been proven wrong for when the re-
naming portion Of the jellyfish was put
in water containing no calcium and
large percentage OF magnesium, il i'm
mediately began pUisating rhythmical-
", as IL had in sea water with its rings
attached. Bit by bit the outer por-
tions were cut away, and Sat last the
merest centre OF the mass was put in a
magnesium solution. when ii pulsated
as had the rest.