388 Miscellaneous. 



old women remained day and night, all the ceilings and windows, 

 which were white- washed, were entirely covered with a green mouldy 

 coat of PenicilUum glaucum, whilst all the walls, which were 

 painted in oil, were completely lined with a black and white mould, 

 which presented the same A. nigricans as the patient's ear, only under 

 the form of Achorion (according to Hallier). But a single cultiva- 

 tion in glycerine or on lemon sufficed to change it into a plant with 



well-deveioped sporanges Washing the walls and ceilings 



with a solution of hypochlorite of lime, which was also employed in 

 the ear, and the establishment of good ventilation, speedily put an 

 end to the sufferings of the patient, upon whom all my therapeutical 

 resources had previously failed. — Comptes Rendus, August 26, 

 1867, pp. 368-371. 



The Theory of the Skeleton. 

 To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 



Gentlemen, — Absence from town has prevented me from seeing 

 the 'Annals of Natural History' since July. 



I have but a few words to say in reply to Mr. Seeley's letter in 

 your August Number. 



Any one who chooses to be at the trouble of reading the two 

 pages in the ' Medico- Chirurgical Review,' from which Mr. Seeley 

 extracts seven lines, will find as definite an outline of the theory of 

 mechanical genesis of vertebrae as could be put in the short space 

 available. 



If he is at the further trouble of referring to the ' Principles of 

 Biology,' §§ 254-2.58, he will find what Mr. Seeley chooses to call 

 "vague hypothesis." Where Mr. Seeley "did not notice that 

 these 'incident forces' (producing vertebral structure) were de- 

 fined," he will see specified and illustrated by diagrams the par- 

 ticular incident forces which produce differentiation of the vertebrate 

 axis from surrounding tissues, the particular incident forces which 

 cause segmentation of it, and the particular incident forces which 

 cause ossification to commence at the places where it does com- 

 mence. 



If, once more, he turns to §301 (which I suppose Mr. Seeley 

 overlooked), he will find definitely specified the particular physio- 

 logical actions through which pressures and tensions cause the 

 formation of bone. 



Here, so far as I am concerned, the controversy must end. 



I remain, Gentlemen, 

 Yours, &c., 



Herbert Spencer. 



