550 Sir WilUam Macewmi [June 7, 



local nerve control might regulate the smaller blood-vessels under 

 topical irritation of the parts and in the earlier stages of inflammation. 

 If these ganglia were paralysed, the arteries would dilate, as is seen 

 in active hyperfemia. 



One could hnger fondly over every one of these earlier papers of 

 Lister, permeated as they are with the spirit of the true enquirer 

 who was endeavouring to coax Nature to reveal her secrets, and it is 

 with difficulty that one can be persuaded to leave them. 



Taken alone, they are sufficient to mark their author as an 

 original thinker and investigator. 



These communications were interesting and important, yet, 

 though highly appreciated by all who valued science for itself and 

 admired it for the truth it aimed at, they did not directly appeal 

 to those who look lightly upon investigations, the results of which 

 are not immediately productive of direct and tangible benefits. 



As far as those earlier papers bore on the phenomena of inflamma- 

 tion, they were overshadowed by the observations of Cohnlieim 

 (1867) " On the Vascular, Textural Changes," especially the passage 

 during inflammation of the leucocytes from the blood-vessels into 

 the surrounding tissue, and by Strieker and many others on the 

 histological phenomena displayed by the fixed tissue ceils in 

 inflammation. 



Though these observations threw great light on the manner in 

 which the cellular elements were converted into pus, they did not 

 explain the causes of inflammation and pus production. 



Meanwhile, surgeons were trying chemical substances in an 

 empirical way, as means of arresting excessive inflammation in the 

 wounds, and some of these were attended by an amount of success. 

 They had powerful remedies at hand, if they could have seen liow to 

 employ them, and what to use them against. They did not know 

 what to attack — whether it was a something inherent in the tissue 

 or something present in the air. 



Some regarded the excessive suppuration as due to a process of 

 putrefaction, and many believed that putrefaction was the result 

 of chemical changes which ensued on exposure of the tissues to the 

 atmosphere. 



Microbes Discovered to be the Cause of Putrefaction and 

 Fermentation (Cagniard-Latour and Schwann). 



While darkness still brooded over the realm of Medicine and 

 Surgery, notwithstanding endeavours to reach the light, investiga- 

 tions had been conducted in quite other fields, which were not only 

 important in themselves, but were destined to lead to the revelation 

 of multitudes of hitherto invisible organisms, everywhere existing, 

 and playing a very potent part in the economy of the world. 



Over thirty years previously, 1835-37, Cagniard-Laiour in 



