1G0 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



MR. WILLIAM THOMPSON OX DARWINIANISM. 



Mr. William Thompson, in his address before the British 

 Association at Edinburgh, takes occasion to give in his adhe- 

 sion to the Darwinian views of evolution, and not only ex- 

 presses his belief that all the higher organisms now covering 

 the face of the earth have most probably developed them- 

 selves from lower ones, but suggests also that these were 

 most likely derived from meteoric stones and other matter 

 fallen from the planets. 13 A, 1871, August 15, 402. 



CANNIBALISM IN EUROPE. 



In spite of the opposition manifested by many persons to 

 the idea, it appears to be now w T ell established that the earli- 

 est inhabitants of Europe were cannibals ; and it is said that 

 it w r as a matter of religious observance with the ancient Irish 

 to eat their parents. 15 A, 1870, April 9, 489. 



SPONTANEOUS GENERATION. 



Among the more recent investigations especially interest- 

 ing in a scientific point of view w T ere those upon spontaneous 

 generation as conducted by Dr. Bastian. It is well known 

 that Professor Huxley, in his address delivered before the 

 British Association in 1870, made special reference to these 

 inquiries, and came to the conclusion that the data upon 

 which Dr. Bastian based his conclusions were incorrect, and 

 that the existence of any thing like spontaneous generation, 

 if not finally disproved, at least required stronger arguments 

 than had been presented for its acceptance as a law. 



Subsequently to this, Dr. Frankland, who has made many 

 experiments for Dr. Bastian, announced in Nature that he 

 had lately re-examined the entire subject with more critical 

 precautions than had hitherto been taken, and that he found 

 nothing whatever to show the occurrence of spontaneous gen- 

 eration. It is true that various movements of atoms were 

 observed, as stated by Dr. Bastian, but this movement was 

 found to be a mere Brownian motion, many of the particles 

 being minute splinters of glass, and without the slightest evi- 

 dence of life in any of them. This observation of Dr. Frank- 

 land would seem to settle the question for the present, and 

 render it necessary for the advocates of spontaneous genera- 



