THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 275 



been suggested that the colloidal character of the silica employed 

 is especially favourable to the evolution of living matter, but 

 unless the organisms are largely composed of silica, which is 

 highly improbable, it is difficult to see exactly what the colloidal 

 silica has got to do with their origin, unless, indeed, it may be 

 supposed to act as a catalytic agent. 



Altogether I think we may fairly say that the acceptance 

 of Dr. Bastian's results would involve us in so many difficulties 

 that it is preferable at present to believe that there has been 

 some error in his mode of procedure, some unsuspected loophole 

 through which contamination of his preparations has taken 

 place.* 



The whole problem looks surprisingly like a modern version 

 of the old story with which we started. The question " What 

 was the origin of the fossils in the rocks ? " is replaced by the 

 question " What was the origin of the organisms in the glass 

 tubes 1 ' : We have seen how, in the former case, certain 

 statements, made apparently in perfectly good faith, led to 

 entirely wrong and absurd conclusions. We are all agreed 

 now as to how the fossils got into the rocks, but I am not aware 

 that anyone has ever succeeded in explaining the mystery of 

 how the marine shells got into the human body, or even how 

 the toads got into the stones in which they were alleged to have 

 been found. .No one, however, whose opinion is worth con- 

 sidering, believes that they were generated there. All are 

 agreed that there must have been something wrong with the 

 original statements, and there we must be content to leave 

 it. It is doubtless premature to say that Dr. Bastian's 

 organisms are merely toads in stones, but I do not see much 

 to choose between the difficulties of explanation in the two 

 cases. The decision must be left to the future, and in the mean- 

 time we may console ourselves with the reflection that science 



* Since this address was written Dr. Bastian has published a lengthy 

 communication in Nature (January 22nd, 1914) in which he tells us that his 

 results have been confirmed by four other observers, two in America and 

 two in France. The American observers say, however, " We have no sug- 

 gestion to make other than your interpretation, and, indeed, we desire to 

 be entirely non-committal as yet." Prof. Hewlett, the well-known bac- 

 teriologist, writing at the same time, states that, although he has made 

 similar experiments, he has not yet been able to confirm Dr. Bastian's 

 results. 



Journ. Q. M. C, Series II. No. 74. 20 



