14 ORIGIN OF LOWEST ORGANISMS. 



2. HETEROGENETIC MODE OF ORIGIN OF BACTERIA 



AND OF TORUL^E. 



It has been long known that Bacteria and Torulce 

 are frequently to be found within vegetable cells, 

 taken even from the central parts of plants, whenever 

 these are in a sickly condition or are actually dying. 

 They are apt to exist also within epithelial cells taken 

 from the inside of the mouth ; and the frequency and 

 abundance with which such organisms are met with in 



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these cells, is almost in direct proportion to the mal- 

 nutrition and lack of vital power in the individual who 

 is the subject of observation. Then, again, in persons 

 who have died of adynamic diseases, in the course of 

 twenty-four or thirty-six hours (during warm weather) 

 Bacteria may be found in abundance within the blood- 

 vessels of the brain and of other parts, although no 

 such Bacteria were recognizable in the blood of the 

 individual during life. 



In these cases we must, in order to account for the 

 presence of the Bacteria and Torulce, either suppose 

 that such organisms, in an embryonic state, are almost 

 universally disseminated throughout the various tex- 

 tures of higher organisms, both animal and vegetal 

 (though they are only able to develop and manifest 

 themselves when the higher organisms, or the parts of 

 them in which the Bacteria or Tontlce are met with, 

 are on the eve of death), or else we must imagine 

 that when the vital activity of any organism, whether 



