160 CHARLES DARWIN. 



ammonia and phosphoric salts, light, heat, electricity, etc., 

 present, that a protein e compound was chemically formed 

 ready to undergo still more complex changes, at the present 

 day such matter would be instantly devoured or absorbed, 

 which would not toave been the case before living creatures 

 were formed." 



About 1870 Dr. H. C. Bastian began working on 

 the subject, and brought forward in his " Origin of 

 of Lowest Organisms" (1871), and "The Beginnings 

 of Life " (1872), what he believed to be conclusive 

 evidence of the truth of spontaneous generation, for 

 which he proposed the term Archebiosis. His en- 

 thusiasm and strong convictions were contagious, 

 and for a time the belief spread rather widely, 

 although it soon collapsed before the researches and 

 arguments of Pasteur, Tyndall, and Huxley. Darwin 

 read " The Beginnings of Life," and wrote about it to 

 Wallace (August 28th, 1872) as follows: 



" His [Bastian's] general argument in favour of Archebiosis 

 is wonderfully strong, though I cannot think much of some few 

 of his arguments. The result is that I am bewildered and as- 

 tonished by his statements, but am not convinced, though, on 

 the whole, it seems to me probable that Archebiosis is true. 

 I am not convinced, partly I think owing to the deductive cast 

 of much of his reasoning ; and I know not why, but I never 

 feel convinced by deduction, even in the case of H. Spencer's 

 writings. ... I must have more evidence that germs, or the 

 minutest fragments of the lowest forms, are always killed by 

 212 of Fahr. ... As for Kotifers and Tardigrades being 

 spontaneously generated, my mind can no more digest such 

 statements, whether true or false, than my stomach can digest 

 a lump of lead." 



