238 TWELFTH REPORT OF THE 



microscopic fungi, but they are no more like the par- 

 ticles of vaccine lymph, or any contagious poison, or 

 any kind of living matter known, than an oil globule 

 or an air bubble is like a white blood corpuscle, or a 

 pus corpuscle. Such illustrations only help to retard 

 investigation and to convey erroneous ideas regarding 

 the character of the matters referred to ; nor is it right 

 to lead the reader to suppose that nothing more has 

 been made out concerning the little particles of vaccine 

 than is represented in the drawing referred to, con- 

 sidering the particles in question were described and 

 figured under a much higher magnifying power several 

 years ago. 



But strange to say, Dr. Sanderson remarks that 

 the presence of these particles is in itself a fact of 

 little importance (!), because " many transparent 

 organic fluids, as, e.g., the liquor sanguinis, are found 

 when examined under high powers, to contain particles 

 of about the same size as those which exist in vaccine." 

 Now it is quite certain that the fact is of the very 

 highest importance, as showing that living particles, 

 having precisely the same characters, may differ remark- 

 ably in powers and properties, and that therefore these 

 last cannot be attributed to chemical composition, or to 

 anatomical structure. But the same writer intimates 

 that the opinion . may be fairly entertained that bio- 

 plasm might exhibit structure if subjected to more 

 perfect investigation, and then remarks that the resem- 

 blance between different kinds of germinal matter 



