LIFE'S FRINGES 



Fifty years ago, the first congress of our Society was opened by an 

 exhilarating lecture of the then president, Stokvis. The first speaker 

 next to address a plenary session was a microbiologist, Beijerinck, who 

 in a splendid paper presented his ideas on a subject of microbial me- 

 tabolism that is timely even to-day. After this event microbiologists 

 have not, as far as I am aware, appeared before the footlights of our 

 congresses, and consequently I deem it a particular privilege that I 

 may terminate the first half-century of the existence of our Society 

 with an attempt once again to illuminate to some extent a consuming 

 problem in the field of microbiology. Apart from the fact that this 

 science can only profit from an occasional confrontation of eminent 

 proponents of the natural sciences with its problems, it is perhaps 

 equally useful for another reason that a microbiologist every now and 

 then may here raise his voice. This may be illustrated as follows. 



Amongst the birds of different plumage who compose our member- 

 ship, the biologists form a group that is more or less sharply differen- 

 tiated from that comprising the students of the more exact fields of 

 natural science. A careful observer cannot escape the conclusion that 

 the biologist is characterized by a curious mixture of haughtiness and 

 humility. The latter feature is the immediate consequence of the biol- 

 ogist's recognition that the results he obtains in often laborious toil 

 lack the definitiveness that usually characterizes those of the mathe- 

 matician, the astronomer, the physicist, or the chemist. But then, 

 whence the superiority that evidently restores the mental equilibrium 

 in the investigator of living nature? It, too, is understandable, for does 

 not part of the glory of the object of a science reflect on him who earn- 

 estly and with devotion engages in its pursuit? And it certainly is not 

 necessary to be a professional biologist in order to become impressed, 

 at least now and then, with the astounding potentialities of living 

 organisms. A moment of freedom from daily chores, a brief reflection 

 on the accomplishments of man, animal, or plant, will suffice to render 

 tangible the mystery of life. And then, how glaring is the contrast be- 



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