Wellhujlon Pliilosojj/tical Society. 535 



sions before the Biological Congresses held this year in Paris and Glasgow, 

 which he recommended to members as giving the latest views, which 

 represent that microbes are not utterly obnoxious. They are, in fact, our 

 best friends, being the natural scavengers that remove effete organic 

 matter. Tlie speaker tlien described the relation of the white corpuscles 

 of the blood to microbes, and the poisonous products produced by the 

 latter from the albumen compounds both in the live body (leucomaines) 

 and in the dead carcass (ptomaines). He looked on man's industrial life 

 as a continual struggle to prevent the microbes getting the upper hand. 

 Correct knowledge of their life-history was especially important to this 

 colony, where we bad to depend so largely on organic products for our 

 exports. Success in our methods of preparing produce for export — meat 

 by freezing, and dairy products and beers by fermentation — all required 

 thorough knowledge of such matters. Sanitary arrangements, suggested 

 by the soundest scientific views, could be as easily adopted in this colony 

 as any other, as the}^ had not to compete with prejudice or vested interests. 

 The question of overcoming the many pests that harass our industries must 

 depend on our being able to spread epidemic disease, through the agency of 

 microbes, but only in the direction we require. Thus the niuch-discussed 

 rabbit-plague, there was no doubt, would only be overcome by bringing this 

 branch of knowledge to bear on it; and the same with most insect blights. 

 He thought Mr. Travers deserved the best thanks of the Society for the 

 information he had given in his admirable paper. 



Mr. Tregear expressed the opinion that some properly-authorized 

 person should be appointed to inspect the meat-supply. If there was the 

 least shadow of truth in the assertions frequently made, then there was 

 considerable danger in the way matters were now being conducted. 



Mr. Brandon said it was satisfactory to find that this important 

 subject was becoming more understood. Tc was necessary, however, to 

 go into the details most mmutely, so as to acquire real knowledge. He 

 understood that Sir James Hector did not believe there was any founda- 

 tion for the recent scare on the subject of cancer. 



Sir James Hector, in reply to i\Ir. Brandon and Mr. Tregear, said he 

 quite agreed that there should be thorough inspection of all food-animals, 

 and of dead meat, as in other countries, but he did not believe that the 

 meat in this colony was any more diseased than elsewhere, and thought it 

 was quite the reverse. It would be very injurious to the community if 

 erroneous ideas on the subject were spread abroad; and loose or reckless 

 writing on the subject must do real harm and create distrust of sound 

 scientific teaching. The diseases of animals and plants used as food 

 were not new things. The safeguard was thorough cooking of the food. 

 Man had been defined as " a cooking animal." Probably it was this 

 long-inherited instinct that had enabled the human race to conserve its 

 growing store of experience, while other races of animals disappeared in 

 succession, chiefly through epidemic disease. 



Mr. Travers, in reply, said it was no wonder he could not give the 

 latest information on the subject — he was not in possession of the latest 

 works. His object was to place before the Society the facts of the 

 case. The subject was a large one, and it was impossible to exhaust 

 it. It was quite possible to prevent the spread of disease, and the public 

 bodies should do their duty in the matter. He read extracts from a 

 French paper calling attention to the killing of meat, and stating that 

 25 per cent, was rejected. He had not much faith in veterinary sur- 

 geons as being the proper persons to investigate this subject. 



2. " On the Moriori," by E. Tregear, F.R.G.S. {Trans- 

 actions, p. 75.) 



The author read a letter from i\Ir. Sliand, which described a basket 

 canoe presented to tiie Colonial IMuseum ; and also exhibited photo- 

 graphs of certain rock-carvings and figures carved on karaka-trees. 



