IN TROD UCTION. 2 1 



trate how slowly the doctrine of spontaneous generation 

 was abandoned : 



u At a meeting of the Pathological Society of London, 

 held April 6, 1875, the ' germ theory ' of disease was 

 formally introduced as a subject for discussion, the debate 

 being continued with great ability and earnestness at sub- 

 sequent meetings. The conference was attended by 

 many distinguished medical men, some of whom were 

 profoundly influenced by the arguments, and none of 

 whom disputed the facts brought forward against the 

 theory on that occasion." 



"The leader of the debate, and the most prominent 

 speaker, was Dr. Bastian, to whom also fell the task of 

 replying on all the questions raised." 



"The coexistence of bacteria and contagious disease 

 was admitted; but, instead of considering these organisms 

 as probably the essence, or an inseparable part of the es- 

 sence, of the contagium, Dr. Bastian contended that they 

 zvere patJiological products spontaneously generated in the 

 body after it had been rendered diseased by the real con- 

 tagium" 



" The grouping of the ultimate particles of matter to 

 form living organisms Dr. Bastian considered to be an 

 operation as little requiring the action of antecedent life 

 as their grouping to form any of the less complex chem- 

 ical compounds." "Such a position must, of course, 

 stand or fall by the evidence which its supporter is able 

 to produce, and accordingly Dr. Bastian appeals to the 

 law and testimony of experiment as demonstrating the 

 soundness of his view." " He seems quite aware of the 

 gravity of the matter at hand; this is his deliberate and 

 almost solemn appeal : ' With the view of settling these 

 questions, therefore, we may carefully prepare an infusion 

 from some animal tissue, be it muscle, kidney, or liver; 

 we may place it in a flask whose neck is drawn out 

 and narrowed in the blowpipe flame; we may boil the 

 fluid, seal the vessel during ebullition, and, keeping it 

 in a warm place, may await the result, as I have often 



