BIOLOGY. 277 



any accurate observations can be conducted upon such a point. I 

 therefore wish Mr. Crookes 1 chemical treatment for infection, as suc- 

 cessfully carried out in the case above described, to be considered as 

 evidence only in favor of the theory that infectious disease is propa- 

 gated, not originated, on what is known as the germ-theory. Of 

 the origin of such diseases I will merely say this, that I have the 

 greatest possible difficulty in believing that the germs of Asiatic 

 cholera existed in a passive state from the creation of the world, 

 whenever that may have been, on which point again I would 

 offer no opinion, for I fear that I am getting on dangerous ground, 

 down to the year 1817, when suddenly called into existence by 

 getting into the congenial climate of a Hindoo stomach. Perhaps 

 I should now communicate a further experiment that circum- 

 stances forced upon me in the chemical treatment as disease 

 attacking, as distinguished from medical treatment of the patient 

 attacked, in this next instance, as I am almost afraid to confess, 

 in the human subject. Turning again to the paper from which I 

 read an extract, I will read a prophecy which I was rash enough 

 to publish at the end of it, in, as you will recollect, the month of 

 November, 1867, that similar treatment would, for similar reasons, 

 prove equally successful in diseases attacking human beings." 



After reading the passage in question, Mr. Hope proceeded to 

 say: "In the spring of the following year, namely, 1868, I re- 

 turned home late one Saturday evening, and found to my horror 

 that my eldest child was laid up with a violent attack of scarlet 

 fever. It so happened that scarlet fever was the disease, of all 

 others, that I the most dreaded for children; and this was a 

 violent attack, with acute symptoms both in the throat and of 

 fever. M} 7 wife, however, having authorized the exhibition of 

 carbolic acid, and having already isolated the child, I proceeded 

 chemically to attack his enemy, the scarlet-fever germs. The 

 first step was to kill the germs which caused the pain in the throat 

 and the difficulty in swallowing. This was effected by a gargle 

 of 1 part of carbolic acid I mean of the pure white carbolic acid 

 manufactured by Calvert to 200 parts of water. The effect was 

 instantaneous, and the result most encouraging. Our efforts were 

 redoubled. We attacked the germs in every direction, and showed 

 them no mercy. Cloths dipped in a 2 per cent, solution of car- 

 bolic acid were hung up over the bed and in different parts of the 

 room. The same 2 per cent, solution was sprinkled over the bed- 

 clothes and over the carpet and furniture. A basin of the same 

 was always kept at the door of the dressing-room, through which 

 alone ingress and egress were permitted, so that the few persons 

 allowed to come into the room might wash their hands in it before 

 going to other parts of the house. During all Sunday, and all 

 Sunday night, the same treatment was incessantly kept up, and 

 the patient took occasionally small slips of a solution as weak as 

 0.2 to 0.3 per cent., and the poor germs of the scarlet fever could 

 not get any rest, and could find no place of security. The result 

 was that when the Monday morning came the patient was fast 

 approaching convalescence. I should mention that some very 

 simple febrifuges had been given to the patient, in addition to the 



