THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 333 



which have been observed soon after death must have 

 been produced de novo in the organic fluids themselves. 

 One observation of this kind made much impression 

 upon me at the time, and tended strongly to confirm 

 a then growing belief in the truth of the doctrines con- 

 cerning 'spontaneous generation.' Having made an 

 autopsy (thirty- two hours after death) nearly three 

 years ago, on a man who died in University College 

 Hospital of rheumatic fever, and in whom an ex- 

 ceedingly high temperature had existed for a few hours 

 before death, I immediately proceeded to examine por- 

 tions of the brain and membranes with the microscope. 

 The skull had been opened and the brain had been 

 removed in my presence but a few minutes before ; when 

 the arachnoid was cut through, and two convolutions 

 were carefully separated which had previously been in 

 close contact, in order to cut o?^ a portion of the delicate 

 network of vessels lying between them. On submitting 

 this to the microscope, the fluid outside the vessels, and 

 also that within, was seen to contain a large number of 

 most actively moving particles. Many of these were 

 mere spherical particles of various sizes, but others were 

 distinct and large Bacteria made up of two almost cellular 

 segments ; and every portion of the pia mater that was 

 examined showed similar moving particles and Bacteria. 

 The brain was then covered by a bell glass, and when 

 portions of the pia mater — again taken from between 

 previously unseparated convolutions — were examined 

 after an interval of twenty-four hours, the large Bacteria 



