August i, 1901J 



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327 



former days. In otlier words, we have to meet much keener 

 competition in every department of life. And I hope, though 

 perhaps not with much confidence, that all our educational 

 institutions are recognising that fact and preparing to furbish up 

 their somewhat antiquated methods to meet the demands of 

 modern civilisation and modern competition." And at the 

 same meeting the Vice-Chancellor, Sir Henry Roscoe, .said, 

 " If we are to meet successfully the constant changes of thought 

 and manner of life to which a highly-organised society is 

 increasingly liable, our Universities must not be content with 

 giving instruction or testing attainment, however high, but 

 must make real contribution to the knowledge which alone, in 

 some form or other, will be a guarantee of the stability of that 

 society." 



I shall only add that the endowment and teaching of history 

 as a science, the most complex of the sciences of evolution, 

 should renew and vivify the teaching of all other sciences. 

 For as the sciences of evolution, the metamorphic sciences 

 as I would call them, are founded on the physical sciences, 

 the ethical sciences are founded on the metamorphic 

 sciences, and especially on that highest and most complex 

 of all these sciences, the science of history, or science 

 of .anthropological evolution. More particularly within the scope 

 of the more general or anthropological professorships of history it 

 would come to set forth in their due connection, and in the in- 

 ferences to be drawn from them, the great, yet hitherto, in this 

 country, hardly known and wholly unappreciated, results of 

 modern research with respect to the origin and history of civili- 

 sation. From such chairs also the keynote would be struck 

 which would give a cooperating harmony to the work of every 

 minor chair in the great faculty of history. For a general theory 

 of civilisation, a theory aiming at setting forth the laws of man's 

 history, would touch the whole circle of historical studies. 

 Every special chair, therefore, of the faculty of history would be 

 a centre of fruitful scientific criticism of whatever theory might 

 be put forth from the chair of general history or sociology (if 

 .such should be its title). Imagine the result in new knowledge 

 of such an interworking of generalising theory and verifying 

 research ! Were the faculties of our Universities, or even of 

 one of them, reorganised as the contemporary development of 

 the idea of evolution demands, what a school of cooperating 

 workers would thus be created ! From standing lowest among 

 the great Powers in organisation and encouragement of intel- 

 lectual work, Great Britain would lake her place as highest 1 

 " Lords and Gentlemen of England 1 consider what nation it is 

 whereof ye are, and whereof ye are the governors, a nation not 

 slow and dull, but of a quick, ingenious and piercing spirit ; 

 acute to invent, subtle and sinewy lo discourse, not beneath the 

 reach of any point the highest that human capacity can soar to." 

 And what lacks there in order to our showing ourselves worthy 

 of this noble adjuration of Milton's but such institutions as our 

 Universities might be if organised, not as I suggest, but as the 

 idea of evolution demands ? T- S. Stuakt-Gi.enme. 



THE CONGRESS ON TUBERCULOSIS. 

 T^HE most sanguine expectations of those who have 

 -*- been responsible for the organisation of the British 

 Congress on Tuberculosis could scarcely have led them 

 to anticipate that such a remarkable success would attend 

 their eftbrts as that which has been achieved. The work 

 of some of these congresses appeals almost entirely to 

 experts, whilst that of others has its interest only for the 

 popular mind. Where, however, such a question as 

 tuberculosis is concerned, the interests involved are so 

 great and far-reaching that the medical man, the dabbler 

 in science and the man in the street are all alike interested 

 and fascinated. From Prof. Koch's splendid address, de- 

 livered on the first working day of the Congress, to the 

 practical closing resolutions submitted to the Congress 

 on Friday, those who attended would be ill to please did 

 they not consider themselves provided with subjects for 

 most interesting discussion. 



One of the most important items in the success of the 

 Congress was Prof. Koch's address, in which, in masterly 

 fashion, he enumerated the various steps to be taken for 

 the gradual elimination of tubercular process. The very 

 fact that he resiled from one of his original positions — 



NO. 1657, VOL. 64] 



that bovine and human tubercle bacilli are practically 

 identical — aroused such interest that, had no other single 

 subject been discussed, the success of the congress would 

 have been assured, and Prof Koch is to be congratulated 

 on raising a subject of such vital importance. It cannot 

 but be felt, however, that the experimental evidence on 

 which his opinion is founded is scarcely sufficient to 

 warrant such a sweeping generalisation as that put for- 

 ward ; whilst the clinical evidence brought forward is 

 even less convincing. 



The experimental evidence can only be allowed to 

 stand or be controverted on the production of positive 

 evidence that bovine tuberculosis is communicable to 

 man. Such evidence was at once forthcoming, Dr. 

 Ravenel of Philadelphia bringing forward three cases 

 of such infection that had come under his personal 

 observation ; one of the patients died, whilst in one 

 more at least the bovine tubercle bacillus was re- 

 covered from the local lesion. These cases are, of 

 course, of very great importance, and now that doubt 

 has been thrown on the possibility of such infection, 

 a most careful outlook will, in future, be kept for 

 similar cases. From the clinical side, Prof Koch's 

 evidence is not convincing, especially as he maintains 

 that no tubercular lesion can be accepted as arising in 

 connection with the intestinal canal in which some effect 

 is not produced on the mucous membrane. It appears 

 to be the experience of pathologists who have examined 

 a large number of cases of abdominal tuberculosis (tabes 

 inesenterica) that a certain proportion, at any rate, whilst 

 showing no local lesions such as ulceration or swelling of 

 the mucous membrane itself, give abundant evidence of 

 invasion of the mesenteric glands, and in a certain pro- 

 portion of these cases the mesenteric glands only are 

 aft'ected, this proportion ranging from 14 per cent. 

 (Woodhead) to 28 or 29 per cent. (Shennan and Still). 

 Such affection of the lymphatic glands can scarcely be 

 explained on any other assumption than that the infection 

 has taken place from the alimentary canal, whilst there 

 seems to be further collateral evidence that, in some of 

 these cases at any rate, the infective material has been 

 introduced through the agency of cow's milk. So strong 

 is this evidence that most pathologists, on this ground 

 alone, appear to have considerable hesitation in accept- 

 ing Koch's statements without very careful corroboration, 

 and it is to be hoped that in England, as in Germany 

 and America, the matter will be put to the test as soon 

 as possible. It should be mentioned that Prof. A'irchow, 

 one of the greatest authorities on tubercle, is by no 

 means satisfied of the accuracy of Koch's conclusions on 

 this matter. Whatever may be the result of future 

 investigations, however. Prof Koch may be most heartily 

 congratulated on the courage and lucidity with which he 

 expounded his views and on the interest that he has 

 aroused in the question by the firing ofi'of his bombshell, 

 as it has been called. 



The following remarks made by Lord Lister after Prof. 

 Koch's address are of especial interest ; — 



Lord Lister said the discourse they had listened to was full of 

 profound interest from the beginning to the end. But what 

 had chiefly riveted their attention had been the startling thesis 

 that bovine tubercle could not develop in the human body. 

 This was a matter of enormous practical importance, because, 

 if this conclusion were sound, it would greatly simplify their 

 preventive measures ; but it would be a very serious and 

 grievous thing if the rules now in force for securing purity of 

 milk supply should be relaxed and it should turn out after all 

 that the conclusion was erroneous. For his own part bethought 

 the evidence adduced by Dr. Koch to show that human tubercle 

 could not be communicated to bovine animals very conclusive. 

 At the same time he agreed with him that in a matter of such 

 great importance furiher inquiry was desirable. But even if that 

 were established it would by no means necessarily follow that 

 bovine tubercle could not be communicated to man. He took 

 in illustration the case of variola. Attempts to inoculate human 



