THE ORIGIN OF LIFE 99 



What could it mean ? The fact that there was an unin- 

 terrupted growth and continuous development by division proved 

 that the structures were not crystals, as had been suggested by 

 various observers. They were apparently more than simple 

 aggregates because they appeared capable not only of growth 

 but also of subdivision, and certainly of disintegration. " But 

 if these products are not crystals," said Burke, " we are not 

 able to refuse the inference that we have before us living, 

 highly organized bodies which owe their existence to the 

 independent, self-acting influence of the radium salt upon the 

 culture-medium." In order to indicate the history of the 

 genesis of these structures and their similarity to microbes, the 

 discoverer bestowed upon them the name of 'radiobes.' 



But however well sounding this name may be, however 

 acceptable this ' fact ' communicated by Burke might have 

 been as a support of the theory had it been proved to be true, 

 it cannot stand before criticism. No less a man than the famous 

 physicist Ramsay was chosen to commit the ' radiobes ' to merited 

 oblivion. According to his experiments the radium salt added 

 by Burke to his nutrient gelatine did in fact' cause peculiar 

 alterations, but these had nothing whatever to do with life and 

 growth. Through the emanations of radium the water of the 

 culture-fluid is decomposed into oxygen and hydrogen, causing 

 at the same time a coagulation of the albumen. Thus there 

 are produced in the nutrient gelatine small air-bubbles sur- 

 rounded by a film of coagulated albumen which naturally 

 increase hand in hand with the increase in the development of 

 gas, thus deceiving the uncritical eye into the belief that it is 

 observing the growth of organisms. When will the fantastic 

 hope be abandoned that we shall be able to tear away the veil 

 from this greatest problem of the origin of life by such coarse 

 methods ? 



If we must now admit that up to the present hour spon- 

 taneous generation has never been directly observed and that 

 it is very questionable whether spontaneous generation under 

 modern conditions of life is at all possible, we must, neverthe- 

 less, accept abiogenesis as a just postulate of reason unless we 

 are prepared on this sole point to put a miracle in the place of 



