Entomological Society. 9823 



The Rev. Hamlet Clark drew attention to a letter signed " S. G " in 'The 

 Tunes of ,he 30th of September, on the subject of the prevailing disease amongst 

 cattle, ,n wh.ch the author suggested a connexion between the extraordinary atmo- 

 spher.c cond.tion of the present season and the cholera, rinderpest, and other epidemics 

 which were rife. The following is an extract :— 



"Some particular atmospheric action, acting per se or in combination with existing 

 matters, whatever they may be, is at work pestilentially affecting animal life. If we 

 Lad the same opportunities for observation, and an equal interest in using them, I have 

 no doubt .hat we should find there is disease in the insect world, probably in all livin<. 

 creatures or at least in very many classes of them. * * * * It is reasonable to 

 assume that any atmospheric condition which seriously affects one class of animal life 

 shall more or less act on all such life. * * * * Able writers have propounded 

 theones founded on the direct action of insect life as, under certain circumstances, 

 hkely to produce d,§ease. * * * * It is quite .rue that the ova of certain insect; 

 may exist for years unha.ched ; that then, from some peculiar cause, they at ouce 

 become livmg thmgs, propagating with a rapidity almost beyond belief ***** 

 I have long since arrived at the conclusion, that as the first bricks of the structure of 

 all an.mals, all vegetalion-the cells from which all alike commence-are, so far as 

 Scence has ascertained, not only similar in apparent structure, but can be affected in 

 the same way by the same preparation,-that of cochineal used for microscopic investi- 

 gat,on,-we have much of our life in common with all life around us. I do not believe 

 there could be an ox-murrain, or pig or sheep disease, extensive sudden destruction of 

 any one crop growmg on a large scale, mortality or excessive vitality of any class of 

 insect hfe, without some causes at work liable to produce disease in man and beast, 

 herb, every creeping and flying thing, directly connected with life on our common soil. 



..,.,. ^°"""f '•"'"'^^ «'• ^^getable matters beget-I choose that term-vib- 

 nomc hfe, msect hfe, fungoid life; it is more than probable that this class of living 

 products, or products ready to become alive, partake of the nature of that from which 

 they are bred ; ,t ,s, to me, quite possible they may require the same atmospheric action 

 to g^ve them act.ve life that caused the death of the beast from which they proceed. 



, .. V ^;'l'''' '^'^ P""'^'?'^^ «''»«^1» «PP'y to men. with a certain subordination 



to the peculiar difference ,n some portions of the economy of life of animals hold 

 good I am incredulous as to new diseases. When I am shown a man or beast of 

 novel construction, I shall expect to hear of new complications in their organism- 

 diseases of derangement of functions as new to us as the functions themselves In 

 cholera and ,n malignant typhus, we have morbid action and disorganization in excess 

 -a destructive excess; in a less degree the animal economy shows the same morbid 

 tendency under many other complaints." 



Mr. Clark remarked that this theory, that the diseases affecting different classes of 

 animal hfe were due to the same cause, namely, the atmospheric conditions to which 

 those animals were exposed, seemed not improbable; and it would be interesting to 

 know whether any unusual amount of death or disease, any absence of life, or raiher 

 any inferior vitality, in insects had been generally observed during the present season; 

 the almost complete disappearance of wasps seemed to be a case in point. 



Mr. J. J. Weir thought the year was remarkable for the abundance of insect life- 

 and even as regarded wasps, he had, both at Tunbridge Wells and in Somersetshire,' 

 noticed a considerable (though not a large) number. 



