418 FBAGMENTS OF SCIENCE. 



NOTE. As might have been expected, Professor Virchow shows 

 himself in practice far too sound a philosopher to be restricted by 

 the canon laid down in his critique of Dr. Haeckel. In his recent 

 discourse upon the plague, he asks and answers the quest-ion, ' What 

 is the contagium ? ' in the following words : * Et qu'est-ce que 

 le contagium ? A mon avis, 1'analogie de la peste avec le charbon 

 contagieux me parait si grande qu'il me semble possible de trouver 

 Tin organisme microscopique qui contient le germe de Paffection, 

 Mais jusqu'4 present on a peii cherch6 & trouver cet organisme.' 

 Row* Seientifyw, March, 1879. 



