THE ENVOY 381 
who re-examined the organisms in infusions, and of Eichhorn ' 
(1775, 1783), who discovered the first heliozoon (Actino- 
sphaerium). But Holland’s only representatives during this 
period were Job Baster (1759), who recorded some trifling 
observations on vorticellids, and Martinus Slabber (1778) who 
rediscovered, redescribed, and first depicted Noctiluca.” Yet 
it is a remarkable fact that—apart from Miiller, who was in 
this connexion mainly a nomenclator and systematist— 
nobody arose anywhere for more than a century following 
Leeuwenhoek’s death who can now fairly be called a bacterio- 
logist. For 150 years from the date of their discovery 
the Bacteria were strangely neglected. Mankind remained 
inexplicably blind to their importance, and almost to their 
very existence. 
From the standpoint of protozoology and bacteriology the 
first quarter of last century is a blank. At the end of this 
barren period, however, a revival of interest in Leeuwenhoek’s 
“little animals” set in—a revival which led, with gradually 
increasing momentum, to the enthusiastic development of our 
modern sciences. It is now difficult to place oneself in the 
position of a zoologist or physician a hundred years ago: 
progress in our knowledge of all “ microbes’ has since been so 
rapid and so revolutionary. In 1832, Bory de St.- Vincent * had 
just published his reclassification of the “ Infusoria ”—which 
he needlessly renamed ‘‘ Microscopica’’ *—and Ehrenberg’ was 
busy cataloguing the booty collected in his travels: his 
monumental monographs were just germinating in the form of 
1 Johann Conrad Hichhorn (1718-1790), pastor of the Church of 
St Catharine at Danzig. 
2 Noctiluca, one of the chief organisms causing phosphorescence on the 
surface of the sea, was discovered by the Englishman Joseph Sparshall, 
of Wells in Norfolk, whose observations were recorded by Baker (1753, 
p. 402 sq.). 
* Colonel J. B. Bory de St.-Vincent (1778-1846), soldier, politician, 
traveller, and naturalist. For his life, works, and correspondence see 
Lauzun (1908). 
4 “ Microscopiques.” I believe Bory borrowed this term—as he did so 
much else—from Miiller (1773, p. 4: “microscopica dicuntur, quod unice 
lenticulae amplificantis ope videntur’’). 
° Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (1795-1876), of Berlin. The fullest 
biography is that of Laue (1895). See Dobell (1923a) for further references. 
