124 Biochcmical News, Notes and Comment [Oct. 



ter, continued the process and built up more and more complex and 

 also more labile organic colloids, until finally these acquired the 

 property of transforming light energy into chemical energy. 



In the discussion which followed, Sir Oliver Lodge agreed that 

 new possibilities entered matter with the increase of size and com- 

 plexibility of the molecule. A molecule sufficiently complex and 

 sufficiently unstable and supplied with energy by the sunlight ap- 

 parently gave the chemical substratum for the Operations of life. 

 It was Potential living matter. This has not been made yet, but 

 he has not miich doubt that it might be done. To produce potential 

 living matter, however, is not to produce life. He regards life as 

 of a higher order, for he does not consider the universe limited 

 entirely to what we know. 



Professor Armstrong said that as a chemist he is not for a 

 moment prepared to accept Schaf er's contention that it is probable 

 that we shall ever be able to produce life. This would mean a 

 series of Operations so infinitely complex that it is not within our 

 power to pronounce any opinion on its possibility. The dominant 

 Word in Moore's paper was the word " colloid." It is a blessed 

 word among the physiologists at the present day, but like so many 

 blessed words is used for wrapping up ignorance. 



Professor Hartog said that there was a tremendous amount of 

 scientific "bluff" in the assertion that there was a consensus of 

 opinion among biologists that life was only one form of chemical 

 and physical action which could be produced in the laboratory. The 

 greatest biologists held aloof from such dogmatism. (London 

 LETTER: Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc, 1913, Ixi, p. 1307.) 



Intern. Med. Congr. The Intern. Med. Congr. (17) was 

 formally opened at Albert Hall, London, Aug. 6, by Prince Arthur 

 of Connaught. 



Ehrlich on chemotherapy. At the general Session on Friday, 

 Aug. 8, Professor Ehrlich delivered, in German, the address in path- 

 ology taking for his theme : Chemotherapy. After referring to the 

 work of Jenner, Lister, Sir Patrick Manson, Ross, Castellani, Bruce, 

 Leishman and others on the protozoan diseases, he entered into 

 a technical explanation of the principle of chemotherapy, especially 

 with reference to the work done in elaborating salvarsan. He ex- 



