120 PROGRESS OF MICROSCOPICAL SCIENCE. 



tion of masses composed of the protoplasm and chlorophyll of Nitella " 

 — a plant nearly as high in development as a fern. 



Dr. Bastian's figures on pages 516 and 527 of the second volume 

 bear a remarkable resemblance to the eggs of animals ; and although 

 the vegetable structures which he gives side by side with them bear 

 some resemblance to the eggs in question, the assumption that they 

 are the same is about as justifiable as the assumption that an ovoid 

 white stone, looking exactly like a hen's egg, might become trans- 

 formed into an egg. It might be impossible to distinguish between 

 them by mere external inspection, if they were only seen under such 

 limited conditions as those which exist in microscopic research. 



Much learned matter is contained in Dr. Bastian's thick volumes, 

 but all we can say is, we hope its learned author will reconsider his 

 opinions, and will bring his great stores of knowledge of the works of 

 his predecessors to bear upon this difficult subject in a more careful 

 and logical manner, and that he may ultimately, weighing the laws of 

 evidence with an unbiassed mind, throw great light upon the origin of 

 living things. At present our opinion is, that he has failed to do 

 anything towards advancing our knowledge on the subject. 



PROGRESS OF MICROSCOPICAL SCIENCE. 



A Hcematozoon inhabiting Human Blood. — Dr. T. R. Lewis is, as 

 our readers are probably aware, the describer of this curious fact. 

 He has written an important paper on the subject, which we should 

 give much more fully did our space permit. However, the following 

 brief summary will put our readers in possession of the more im- 

 portant facts contained in the author's account : — 1. The blood of 

 persons who have lived in a tropical country is occasionally invaded 

 by living microscopic Filarial, hitherto not identified with any known 

 species, which may continue in the system for months or years without 

 any marked evil consequences being observed ; but which may, on 

 the contrary, give rise to serious disease, and ultimately be the cause 

 of death. 2. The phenomena which may be induced by the blood 

 being thus affected are probably due to the mechanical interruption 

 offered (by the accidental aggregation, perhaps, of the Hsematozoa) to 

 the flow of the nutritive fluids of the body in various channels, giving 

 rise to the obstruction of the current within them, or to rupture of 

 their extremely delicate walls, and thus causing the contents of the 

 lacteals, lymphatics, or capillaries to escape into the most convenient 

 excretory channel. Such escaped fluid, as has been demonstrated in 

 the case of the urinary and lachrymal or Meibomian secretion, may be 

 the means of carrying some of the Filarias with it out of the circula- 

 tion. These occurrences are liable to return after long intervals — so 

 long in fact as the Filarial continue to dwell in the blood. 3. As a 

 rule, a chylous condition of the urine is only one of the symptoms of 

 this state of the circulation, although it appears to be the most 

 characteristic symptom which we are at present aware of. 4. And, 

 lastly, it appears probable that some of the hitherto inexplicable 



