MANNER OF ACTION. 139 



tion becomes tenable. When an organism or spore of an 

 organism falls upon a cell or naked granulation of a wound, 

 and finds there the conditions suitable for its development, its 

 digestive body is at once thrown out for the preparation of 

 its food material which exists in the tissues with which it is 

 surrounded. This digestive substance proves irritant to the 

 cell upon which the germ has fallen. This irritation excites 

 the cell to throw out its peculiar digestive body for the 

 removal of the irritant with which it is beset. Here we get a 

 glimpse of the antagonists. It is cell against cell ; digestive 

 body against digestive body. A contest has begun. Which 

 will win? The stronger, of course. If the man be vigorous 

 and healthy and his tissues highly endowed with the energies 

 of life, the chances are this much in his favor ; but if, on the 

 other hand, his powers of life be at a low ebb, if his tissues 

 respond to irritants but feebly, then the chances are, this far, 

 in the favor of the intruding organism. In the first case, the 

 cell upon which the intruding germ has fallen responds 

 promptly to the irritation ; a substance calculated to free it 

 from the effects of the intruder is formed and poured out 

 upon it and meets the digestive body of the intruder, hinder- 

 ing, dissipating and nullifying its action. In this way the 

 intruding germ is, in many cases, possibly, overcome and 

 driven out. In the opposite case, where the vital powers 

 are at a low ebb, the response to the irritation is, perhaps, 

 very sluggish, the digestive body is poor in quality and 

 scanty in quantity, and the intruding germ has an easy 

 victory. 



If we suppose that the intruder is a spore, a seed, with a 

 store of food material laid up within its shell, the case is not 

 different essentially. The history of the experiment on this 

 subject shows that during this process excretory products are 

 thrown off, and these may prove direct irritants that will 



