AT THE UNIVERSITY 79 



(been declared to evolve by a kind of spontaneous 

 (generation from the contents of the intestines. 

 But this also was proved to be untrue. Thus 

 bhere was ample material for a solid dogma : there 

 was no such thing as spontaneous generation. 

 The dogma, moreover, harmonised with the pre- 

 1 Failing belief in a special vital force and a radical 

 distinction between the living and the dead, which 

 tvas still shared in a subtle form by even a man 

 ike Miiller. The dogma was formulated. Spon- 

 [ianeous generation was struck out of the scientific 

 vocabulary as unscientific and a popular super- 

 [jtition. The young doctor, duly initiated into these 

 deas of the time, could not resist the temptation 

 [>o give his own kick to the fallen theory. Yet 

 bow strangely things have changed since then ! 

 pro years afterwards Haeckel ceased to believe 

 in a special vital force; he was now absolutely 

 ionvinced that there were unicellular beings; his 

 Thole theory of life seemed to demand spontaneous 

 ;eneration as a postulate, and he even doubted 

 : he force of the experiments of Schwann and 

 >thers. Haeckel himself became the keenest 

 jpostle of the theory of spontaneous generation. 

 iVhenever it is mentioned to-day, we think of the 

 Height of his name which he has cast in the scale 

 i its favour. So the leaves change even in the 

 orest of science: yesterday green, to-day red and 

 riling, to-morrow green once more. On the same 

 ranch as the dogmas we find the correctives 

 rowing, that will at length split them open and 

 ast them as empty husks to the ground. 



