32 THE BIOLOGY OF DAILY LIFE. 



view, of quickly and expeditiously procuring the 

 removal of the corpses, and that those who seemed to 

 be ministers of death, were in truth a most valuable 

 part of the arrangements for life and health. 



(2.) For the scientific traveller, his fuller knowledge 

 of the habits of vultures corrects the false impression 

 produced by the amazing promptness with which they 

 almost anticipate death, in devouring the slain.* 



(3.) While the bringing the guilt to the actual 

 perpetrator, completely and absolutely cleared the other- 

 wise reasonably suspected person. 



In the remaining part of the chapter I shall show 

 how the first two of these considerations are directly 

 applicable to the hordes of those micro-organisms 

 which wait upon disease and death. 



In the next chapter I shall endeavour to bring 

 home the guilt to the real offenders. 



To understand Disease, in any case, we must go 

 back to its beginning, note the point of departure 

 from the normal or healthy state. In fact, we must 

 leave disease for the moment and go study the 

 healthy state, which is in closest connection with that 

 diseased state ; go to the physiology to understand 

 the pathology. 



To see, then, the exact nature of the part which 

 these micro-organisms play in diseased conditions, let 



* Though the Vulturidce are classed as a family belonging to 

 the order Accipttres, which includes most birds of prey, it is 

 acknowledged that vultures seldom if ever kill, but feed chiefly 

 on carrion. Two species of the vulture family are actually pro- 

 tected by law in the Southern States of America, for their use- 

 fulness as scavengers ; these are the turkey buzzard and 

 carrion crow. 



