31 THE GERM THEORY OF DISEASE. 



Pasteur's work made a very marked impression upon the 

 opinions held by the scientific world. Although the general 

 facts as developed had, in a measure, been accepted before, 

 there had not been so clear a demonstration of them. The 

 result was a vast increase of confidence in the germ theory of 

 disease, as held by Schwan and others nearly a quarter of a 

 century before. And when Liebig wrote his last paper on 

 this subject in 1870, reaffirming his old doctrine, with some 

 modifications, it produced but little impression upon the grow- 

 ing faith in the new doctrine, which now numbered among its 

 adherents a large number of the most thoughtful and best 

 informed scientists. (See Half-yearly Compendium, July, 

 1870, page 38, for Brief of Liebig's article.) 



The following statement contains Pasteur's conclusions : 

 t( The chemical act of fermentation is essentially a correlative 

 phenomenon of the vital act, beginning and ending with it. 

 . . . There is never any fermentation without there being 

 at the same time multiplication of globules, or the continued 

 consecutive life of globules already formed." 



