BIOLOGY. 279 



they might fairly draw from them, whatever might be the germ- 

 theory of disease, that carbolic acid did possess very considerable 

 power in the case of one zymotic disease, namely, the rinderpest. 

 Mr. Hope's testimony was not single uppn this point; but it must 

 not be inferred that that which was successful in one zymotic dis- 

 ease would necessarily be successful in another. He was, how- 

 ever, inclined to give 'Mr. Hope's theory respecting scarlet fever 

 the same approval which he had given it in the case of rinderpest. 

 They all knew that children had recovered from scarlet fever in 

 an extraordinary and unaccountable way. Perhaps no treatment 

 was better for this disease than cleanliness, and fresh air and 

 water. Mr. Hope had made the broad general statement, with re- 

 gard to the effect of medicine on the human family, that it was purely 

 empirical. Well, they had empirical medicines ; they had medicines 

 they knew the effect of, and they had diseases they could cure with- 

 outmedicines. Therefore Mr. Hope's assertion must not be taken 

 generally that the action of medicine was not well understood. With 

 regard to the effect of carbolic acid, Dr. Baylis mentioned that in 

 Birkenhead it had long been his practice in every case where 

 zymotic disease occurred, in the poorer part of the town, to have the 

 acid very freely scattered over the stairs of the houses, into which 

 it sank, and could not be washed out again for many days. The 

 walls of the houses were also washed down with wash containing 

 a portion of the acid, and it had been found that these precautions 

 were very effectual in preventing the spread of the disease ; in 

 fact, he could state that fever seldom followed when these pre- 

 cautions had been taken. In conclusion, Dr. Baylis said he 

 thought this general way of treating so important a subject as this 

 was not a satisfactory one, and he thought the association should 

 anticipate the wants of the age. They were unable to settle the 

 germ-theory ; he believed in it, but it was impossible at the 

 present time to arrive at any definite conclusion respecting it. 

 Therefore he thought that the department, in which they were 

 now met, should consider it their duty, and he hoped they would 

 feel it to be seasonable, between now and next year's meeting to 

 institute some experiments with regard to the action of disinfect- 

 ants. They knew that many of them were very useful, but they 

 had no knowledge of how they acted. 



Dr. Cobbold said that it was an assumption that germs existed 

 in rinderpest, for they had never yet been seen. 



Mr. Hope, in reply to the various speakers, said the theory of 

 the action of carbolic acid was this, that, being an acid only 

 technically, so to say, it was really caustic and exceedingly 

 volatile; and, therefore, always assuming that the germs of the 

 disease did exist, the action of the acid would simply be the caustic 

 action of burning the mouth. He did not wish to put the case of 

 rinderpest he had mentioned forward as a proof of the germ- 

 theory, although he regarded it as one of the best proofs that had 

 yet been obtained. He then went on to say that there might be 

 .simple germs inherent in the body, although it was very difficult 

 at the present moment to know how to get, at them. As to the 

 effect of organic medicines being understood, he did not mean his 



