166 NOTES AND MEMORANDA. 



if looked for, will be found in most pathological fluids. The 

 subject only requires further experimentation. 



Sarcinse still remain as mysterious as ever. What is their 

 true nature ? Are they parasites, or are they a normal 

 constituent of the blood ? are questions on which one might 

 speculate, but which I reserve rather for experimental solu- 

 tion. — British Medical Journal. 



Heterogenesis. — Dr. Bastian has been contributing a series 

 of articles on this subject to the ' British Medical Journal,' 

 in which he aims at proving what he had elsewhere (' Modes 

 of Origin of Lowest Organisms,' 1871) endeavoured to show, 

 by cogent experimental evidence, that when organic matter 

 undergoes decay or putrefaction, a double process of com- 

 position and decomposition invariably occurs ; i. e., the 

 complex oi'ganic substances break up into simpler binary 

 compounds, during which the previously locked up forces are 

 instrumental in bringing about new synthetic changes among 

 other constituents of the organic matter. The new products 

 thus evolved appear as specks of living matter, which gradu- 

 ally grow into Bacteria, Torulce, or other simplest forms of 

 life. 



His first two articles are chiefly occupied with recounting 

 the observations and theories of various French naturalists, 

 as M. Turpin, who held that milk-globules are transformed 

 into germs which produce a species of Penicillium ; M. 

 Trecul, who traced the conversion of organic matter in vege- 

 table cells and vessels into living organisms, &c. The fol- 

 lowing are some of Dr. Bastian's own observations : 



" During the examination of some specimens of sugar-cane 

 in a sickly condition which were brought under the notice of 

 the Scientific Committee of the Koyal Horticultural Society 

 about three years ago, 1 first became convinced, from per- 

 sonal observation, that Bacteria and larger fungus-germs may 

 be encountered within the closed cells of living plants. I 

 found, on making thin sections of the central tissue even of 

 young shoots, that many of the cells contained an abundance 

 of Bacteria, and others a smaller number of 2brw/a-like cor- 

 puscles, whilst some of the surrounding cells were quite free 

 from either. I have since found the same kind of thing 

 when examining the central portions of decaying tubers, and 

 other fleshy parts of plants. Actual mycelial growths are, 

 moreover, to be found in various situations, to which we 

 might pretty confidently suppose that no external germs 

 could ever have penetrated. They have been found, for in- 

 stance, in the liquid juice taken from freshly broken cocoa- 

 nuts, from the interior of walnuts and filberts, and from the 



