.12 



NA TURE 



[September 20, 1S94 



as was once supposed : " the deeper inveslipation goes ihe 

 greater the difficulties that rise up before us." Continuing, 

 the Times reports him as remarking that the result of his 

 own invesiigations had brought him to doubt the specific chi- 

 lacler of the cholera bacillus. "The question," he said, "is 

 in this strange position — that, while we know with ceitiiniy 

 that the vibrios which appear in cholera are the cause of the 

 symptoms of the disease, we do not know for certain that these 

 vibrios are of a distinct species. We cannot say for certain 

 whether in all cases of true cholera they belong to a single 

 species or to several, whether they are distinct from our own 

 native vibrios or not." He was inclined to think they were not 

 distinct, and propounded a quite new theory to the efl'ect that 

 these native and harmless vibrios take on an injurious character 

 and give rise to cholera when some other at present undis- 

 covered germ is introduced ; for it is certain that cholera is 

 introduced, and yet apparently the germs are here all the time. 

 M. MelchnikofT, on the other hand, defended the specific cha- 

 racter of the cholera vibrio, but admitted that it was not every- 

 thing. It is frequently present, and yet does no harm. To 

 explain this he has invented yet .another theory, very curious 

 and rich in appalling possibilities. The cholera germ, he 

 thinks, is only powerful lor evil when the native bacilli of the 

 human interior, the flora of the stomach and intestines, as he 

 quaintly calls ihem, are favourable to its growth. It is pointed I 



out by our contemporary that these utterances are interesting as 

 marking a distinct change of front and a distinct advance in 

 knowledge. B.icteriologists, as the result of their own investi- 

 gations, are beginning to come into line wiih the position long 

 maintained by other observers, who reached their conclusions 

 hy the old method of studying the facts of epidemic disease. 

 The germ is, no doubt, the cause of the disease, hut it alone 

 will not suffice. Its effects depend upon the conditions in 

 which it is placed, upon its environment ; it must have a 

 favourable soil in which to grow, or it changes into a harm- 

 less variety. .\nd this bacteriological doctrine h.as an important 

 bearing on the encouragement of hygiene, for it helps us to 

 understand more precisely how hygienic measures work in 

 rendering the soil unfavourable to the growth of the injurious 

 micro-organisms. 



SCIENCE IX THE MEDICAL SCHOOLS. 



1^11 E students' number of the Lancet furnishes some interest- 

 ing information upon the curricula of the medic.il schools 

 of Great Britain. With the idea of seeing how far science 

 instruction in subjects not purely medical is provided in these 

 schools, wc have prepared the subjoined table, from li^ts given 

 in our contemporary, of classes to be held during the session 



- '-S 



Metropolitan Medical Schools. 



S'. Bartholomew's Ilospitil 



Charing Cross Hospital and Colle.;e 



St. George's Hospital 



Guy's Hospital 



King's College Hospital ... 



London Hospital ... 



.St. Mary's Hospital 



Middlesex Hospital ... . . 



S». Thomas's Ho.piial and School 



L'niversity College and Hospital 



Westminster Hospital 



Provi.ncial Medical Schools. 



University of Durham College of Mc.licine 



University College, Liverpool 



< )wens College School of .Medicine 



Sheffield School of Medcine 



Mason College 



University College, Bristol 



Cambridge Univeislty 



Oxford University 



Yorkshire College, Leeds . 



University College, Cardiff' 



Medical Schools of Scotland. 



Aberdeen University 



St. Andrews University 



Klinburgh University 



(>Ia>gow University 



St. Mungo'j College and School of Medicine 



Anderson's College, (ilasgow 



.School of Medicine, Edinburgh 



Univer«ily College, Dundee 



Medical Schools of Irelaxp. 



Dublin University 



Dublin Royal C"llege of Surqcon^ 

 Catholic University, Dublin 

 'Jueen's College, llellast 

 •Juecn's College, Cork 

 ( I w-f-n"- f'..ll»';;f, f.ilvvny 



NO. I 299. VOL. 50J 



