INFLAMMA TION AND FE VER. 247 



abnormal bioplasts reproduce their kind a millionfold 

 whenever placed under conditions favourable to the process, 

 and, this reproduction is unhappily too often fatal to the 

 organism in which it occurs. 



In all forms of inflammation, the bioplasm of the parts 

 inflamed increases very much, and the same change occurs 

 in every kind of fever, fig. n, PI. XI, but does not proceed 

 to the same extreme degree because the death of the indi- 

 vidual occurs. In both conditions there is increased de- 

 velopment of heat due to the increase of the bioplasm. 

 Inflammations and fevers are so very closely related that an 

 inflammation may be spoken of as a local fever, and a fever 

 as a general inflammation. 



The manner in which a bioplast, having specific contagious 

 properties, may be derived by continuity of descent from the 

 bioplasm of tissues, or from that of the blood or lymph, has 

 been pointed out in my work " On Disease Germs," recently 

 published, and reasons have been adduced for the conclu- 

 sion that all contagious bioplasts concerned in all contagious 

 fevers have been originally derived by descent from the normal 

 bioplasm of the body which had grown and multiplied under 

 special and exceptional conditions.* Such minute particles 

 of bioplasm exhibit wonderful powers of multiplication, and 

 will live upon diverse kinds of pabulum. They resist the 

 adverse influence of external conditions, and will retain 

 their vitality in some instances for long periods of time. 

 But they are absolutely destitute of formative, elaborative, 

 or developmental power. They may and often do destroy 

 structure, but they are impotent to construct. Having gained 



* " Disease Germs, and on the Treatment of the Feverish State." 

 Second edition. 1872. Page_25i. 



