290 ROMANCE OF LOW LIFE AMONGST PLANTS. 



he succeeded, and, after inoculating himself, he per- 

 formed the same operation on several of his friends ; 

 then on thousands of people in different towns of the 

 province of Barcelona, and throughout Spain. 



In like manner microbes have been found in such 

 eruptive diseases as scarlatina, small-pox, measles, 

 etc., whilst extensive details might be added of expe- 

 riments and researches in diphtheria, croup, whooping 

 cough, influenza, leprosy, tuberculosis, pneumonia, 

 etc., all of which are now believed to be more or less 

 associated with microbes. Enough has been written 

 to show that a large number of human diseases owe 

 their contagious properties to the presence of organ- 

 isms exceedingly minute, but powerful on account of 

 their numbers and facility of increase. 



Blut im Erode. 



None of the phenomena observed in lower or- 

 ganisms have excited so much consternation amongst 

 the uneducated as the occasional appearance of red 

 stains, like blood-spots on bread, and other articles 

 of food. "In 1 8 19," we learn that "a peasant of 

 Liguara, near Padua, was terrified by the sight of 

 blood-stains scattered over some polenta which had 

 been made and shut up in a cupboard on the previous 

 evening. Next day similar patches appeared on the 

 bread, meat, and other articles of food in the same 

 cupboard. It was naturally regarded as a miracle 

 and warning from heaven, until the case had been 

 submitted to a Paduan naturalist, who easily ascer- 

 tained the presence of a microscopic plant, which 

 Ehrenberg had likewise found at Berlin in analogous 



