July, igi:; 



KNOWLEDGE. 



261 



experimental basis, it is still adhered to from the theoretical 

 standpoint by many naturalists; and there are also many who 

 tliink that life arises spontaneously at the present time in 

 ultra-microscopic particles. Weismann's hypothetical 

 ' biophors,' too minute for microscopic observation, are 

 supposed to arise by spontaneous generation. This phase of 

 the question, however, not being amenable to scientific tests, 

 is theoretical, and therefore, so far as the evidence goes, we 

 may safely say that the spontaneous origin of life under 

 present conditions is unknown." 



Dr. Hastian's claims are not likely to meet with much 

 sympathy, or any acceptance from the majority of biologists. 

 Still, one may admire his courage in publishing at the present 

 day a circumstantial account of experiments in which he 

 claims to have proved conclusively that not only bacteria and 

 " torulae " (obsolete term for saccharomycetcs or yeasts), but 

 even ascomycetous fungi (penicillium — with full-grown 

 mycelium, gonidiophores, and all!), appear de novo in 

 absolutely sterilised solutions. The mystified reader may well 

 exclaim, in the language of Truthful James (slightly para- 

 phrased) — " Do I sleep ? Do I dream ? Do I wonder and 

 doubt ? Are things what they seem ? Or is visions about ? 

 Is our bacteriology a failure ? Or is pasteurisation played 

 out ? ■' 



Without attempting a detailed analysis of this remarkable 

 book, we should like to mention for the consideration of the 

 numerous readers who are always attracted by the heterodox 

 and the startling, in science as in all other branches of thought, 

 a few of the many points arising from a perusal of this 

 heterodox and startling volume. It is generally agreed that 

 the yeasts have arisen — by reduction and by adaptation to life 

 in, and fermentation of, saccharine solutions — from higher 

 ascomycetes, that is to say, from a highly-organised group of 

 fungi, which has unquestionably had a long phylogenetic 

 history. Yet these organisms are said by the author to arise 

 de novo and in abundance in sterilised solutions containing 

 no trace of organic substance of any kind. It is not quite 

 certain from which particular group of ascomycetes the yeasts 

 have actually arisen ; but in any case our amazement is not 

 lessened when we learn that an ascomycetous fungus, the 

 familiar and ubiquitous penicillium. is also regarded as an 

 organism which suddenly appears in the same way in absolutely 

 sterilised inorganic media. Now. botanists are generally 

 agreed that the ascomycetous fungi have most likely arisen from 

 the red algae, and that penicillium has doubtless passed 

 through an even longer evolutionary history than the yeasts. 

 If the author's observations could be proved, we should have 

 proof not merely of spontaneous generation but also of 

 evolutio per saltuiii with a vengeance — mutation of a kind 

 far beyond the wildest dreams of the mutationists. The 

 organisms which are supposed to have arisen by spontaneous 

 generation in Bastian's cultures, it should be noted, are just 

 those which are the bane of the careless bacteriologist — 

 baciUi, yeasts, peniciliium. and so on. 



We should like to see experiments like those described in 

 this book done on a large scale — if they can be done in small 

 vials and flasks, why not in huge vessels containing a few 

 hundred gallons of the sterilised solution ? It would then be 

 possible to test the author's claims in a simple and conclusive 

 manner — the organisms could be separated from the solution 

 and chemically analysed. The author states, by the way, 

 that he used pure solutions of sodium silicate. If it could 

 thus be absolutely proven that the solution was entirely free 

 from the slightest traces of carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, and 

 phosphorus, the crucial question would be — do the '' abiogenc- 

 tic " organisms contain these elements, which we have 

 hitherto regarded as universal and essential constituents of 

 the living substance protoplasm ? If they do, then we should 

 have a result transcending in scientific interest, and more 

 truly epoch-making than, the mere trifle of highly-organised 

 fungi appearing by spontaneous generation in a sterilised 

 organic infusion. Perhaps, however, it would not be 

 necessary to work upon such a large scale — though the idea 

 of so doing appeals to us. On the principle of eliminating 

 " experimental error," as strongly as did that of estimating the 

 frequency of butting of bull-calves to the professor of physiology 



in " The Food of the Gods " ! A skilful chemist could easily 

 settle the question by a series of microchemical tests. But 

 apparently these, and various other, aspects of the matter did 

 not occur to the author of this remarkable work. 



The fact is, that with every intention of judging the author's 

 results and interpretations in a candid and unbiassed spirit, 

 we find through(jut the work glaring instances of neglect to 

 take obvious precautions and to make really scientific tests, 

 and therefore wc have no alternative but to reject these 

 results and interpretations, as most emphatically " not 

 proven." 



F. C. 



BOTANY. 



Tlie Life of the Plant. — By C. A. Timiriazekf. 355 pages. 

 SJ illustrations. 9i-in.X 5^-in. 



(Longmans, Green & Co. Price 7 6 net.) 



This book has been translated from the seventh Russian 

 edition by Miss .\nna Cheremeteft'. who deserves the warmest 

 praise for the arduous task which she has so skilfully and 

 successfully undertaken. Our sole regret is that this admir- 

 able work was not long ago done into Fnglish — it was first 

 published in Russian in 1878. We have for years .sought in 

 vain for a French or German edition, and not having been 

 able to learn of any translation had almost resolved to learn 

 Russian in order to peruse what we felt sure must be an 

 exceptionally interesting book, worthy of the high reputation 

 of the author as a plant physiologist ! The perusal of this 

 belated English version has more than confirmed our 

 expectations, for this is a work of the highest interest for 

 teachers and students of Botany. TimiriazefTs researches, in 

 particular those on chlorophyll and photosynthesis, have 

 become classical, and that he is a master of the art of 

 exposition is shown in his Croonian Lecture to the Royal 

 Societv in IQOJ on " The Cosmical Function of the Green 

 Plant'' (Proc. Roy. Soc, vol. 72, 1903, pp. 424-461). 



The book is based on a course of semi-popular lectures 

 delivered in Moscow during the winter of 1876, and are 

 written in a delightfully free, in places colloquial and even 

 humorous, style which makes them exceedingly good reading. 

 The introductory portion of Chapter (or Lecture) I. contains 

 some pointed and pithy remarks on the general public's 

 meagre knowledge of botany (for which, as the author very 

 justly says, the fault lies partly with botanists themselves and 

 partly with the historic development of this branch of science) 

 and the two old-fashioned types of botanists, the '' pedantic 

 nomenclator " and the amateur horticulturist or "elegant 

 adept of the aniabilis scientia, as botany was called in olden 

 times," both of whom are still " botanists " to the public of 

 to-day, including even well-educated people not conversant 

 with science. Equally enjoyable are the author's gentle sarcasm 

 concerning the type of botanical work which is '" hackneyed 

 and suitable only for children's books or for occasional 

 illustrated publications for grown-up people " ; his gibes at the 

 botanical marvels and absurdities appearing now and then 

 in the daily newspapers ; his reflections concerning the back- 

 ward condition of vegetable physiology as compared with 

 morphology, and the reasons for this ; and the interesting 

 comparison which he draws between the historical develop- 

 ment of animal physiology and that of vegetable physiology; 

 and so on. 



.After this stimulating introduction, the author proceeds to 

 the consideration of the general structure of plants, the cell, 

 seeds, roots, leaves, stems, growth, flowers, the relation 

 between plants and animals, and the origin of organic forms ; 

 and in an appendix gives an account of " the plant as a source 

 of energy," which is on similar lines to his Croonian Lecture 

 already referred to. 



Throughout, the idea expressed in the title — " the life of 

 the plant " — is kept consistently to the front, and many 

 experiments (some of them exhibiting extreme ingenuity! are 

 described. Most of these experiments were shown to the 

 fortunate audience attending the author's course of lectures, 

 over which he must have taken infinite pains — and which he 

 evidently delivered with great gusto. 



