198 DISEASES OF FIELD & GARDEN CROPS. [CH. 



and that the disease is capable of reaching the seeds and 

 reappearing in the youngest seedlings. Now, if plants 

 thus suffering from hereditary disease, and having the 

 latent germs of disease in every part of their organisation 

 are experimented upon in an unnatural way, have spores 

 of fungi placed near their organs of transpiration, whose 

 germ-threads can pierce the epidermis or enter and choke 

 the stomata and so reach their intercellular spaces, is it 

 not likely that this inociilating process may start into 

 activity the latent germs of disease ? 



We have facts, as we think, quite comparable with this in 

 the animal kingdom. Persons are subject to different forms 

 of complaints, according to their constitution. Cereals are 

 notoriously constitutionally subject to mildew ; barberries 

 are notoriously constitutionally subject to blight. 



Suppose we take an instance of a person constitutionally 

 subject to phthisis (consumption) ; give that person a cold 

 and phthisis appears ; but the same cold will give rise to 

 rheumatic fever with a second constitution, and scrofula 

 with a third, according to the tendency of the indi- 

 viduals to these disorders. Gout, for another example, 

 is said to be a jealous complaint, and, with those liable to 

 it, will always come and look in if any accident or ailment 

 should arise. Again, the same irritating article of food 

 will with one person produce neuralgia, with another the 

 vesicular skin disease named shingles, with a third indi- 

 gestion, with a fourth diarrhrea, with a fifth local inflam- 

 mation. Vaccination in the human subject, which is 

 comparable with spore inoculation in plants, unquestion- 

 ably puts latent ailments into action. Children badly 

 nourished will get eruptions and boils ; if of scrofulous 

 habits, abscesses or sores ; if gouty or of delicate constitution, 

 vesicular eruptions or eczema will often appear. The 

 shock of an accident will also often set latent ailments into 

 action ; a blow will set the latent germs of cancer into 

 activity. Under these circumstances we think artificial 

 cultivation of corn in pots under bell-glasses, with fungus 



