314 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
of his room; but in that of Dr. Pouchet (the leading partisan 
of spontaneous generation), who obtained his dust from the 
interior of the pyramids of Egypt, ‘“ they retained their life 
2000 years, and then survived an oil bath of 400° of heat. 
We cannot close these observations without referring to 
a useful practical application of these experiments, suggested 
by the author, and approved by the President of the Section, 
Professor Rolleston, and by many gentlemen who were 
present at the delivery of the lecture, namely—the exami- 
nation of. the air of hospital wards, in order to trace, if pos- 
sible, the existence of germs likely to cause epidemic disease. 
Mr. Samuelson claimed no originality for this suggestion, 
for he said that Dr. Pouchet had spoken of such an investi- 
gation, but he believed that, with the peculiar views enter- 
tained by the French naturalist, he could hardly be expected 
to go to his work with an unprejudiced mind, and with a 
chance of practical good resulting. He, therefore, recom- 
mended our hospital surgeons to make the test. In this view 
Professor Rolleston quite concurred, and several valuable 
hints were thrown out as to the best means of conducting 
the investigation. 
