April 2^, 1 8 74 J 



NA TURE 



483 



of the controversy can teach us nothing definitely as to the 

 death-point of Bacteria and their germs, thougli they are of 

 interest with regard to the question of the degree of heat which 

 suffices to check the productivity of tlie fluids in question. 



We are now told that Mr. Lankestcr himself, and those with 

 whom he sides, are agreed as to the fact that Bacteria are killed 

 at "a temperature a little below 70" C." Of course I cannot 

 tell to what extent Mr. Lankestcr is in possession of the views 

 of Prof. Huxley and others, but if wliat he states is really true, 

 the statement is of a reassuring nature ; it looks like progres.s, 

 and leads me to hope that the only remaining doubt may soon 

 be solved. How long does it take for the " through-lieating " 

 of certain " possible " Bacteria germs ? This is now the knotty 

 problem which, according to Mr. Ray Lankester, seems alone 

 to require solution before we can positively decide as to the 

 lieterogenetic origin of Bacteria. Perhaps I may help him on 

 his way to the solution of this difficulty by calling his attention 

 to certain experiments made in Calcutta by Dr. Tmiothy Lewis, 

 in reference to the existence of living tape- worm germs in cooked 

 meat ("' Report of S.anitary Commissioners with the Govern- 

 ment of India, 1S71 "). Dr. Lewis says : — "The temperature of 

 legs of mutton which had been put into the boiler aUnost as soon 

 as the water was put into it averaged 140" F. (60" C.) in the in- 

 terior at the moment the water had reached the boiling point 

 (212° F.), and after boiling for five minutes the temperature had 

 reached 170'F. (76°C. )." Now with these facts in his posses- 

 sion, and with some suggestions from physicists of his acquaint- 

 ance as to the mode of conduction of heat generally, Mr. Lan- 

 kester may perhaps soon solve his problem, so far as this is prac- 

 ticable. The problem itself may be stated thus : — If the 

 through-heating of several pounds of protoplasm in the shape of 

 a leg of mutton, when immersed in water, takes place at such a 

 rate as to raise the central portions of the joint to a temperature 

 of 60° C. by the t'me the water has reached 100° C, and 

 if the exposure of the leg of mutton to this lieat for 

 the space of five minutes suffices to raise its central portions 

 from 60" to 76' C, how many seconds, minutes, or hours will it 

 take to lieat an infinitesimal part of a grain of protoplasm (all 

 through) to the temperature of 76' C. — that is, to a degree of 

 heat decidedly above the death-point of bacterial protoplasm as 

 given by Mr. Ray Lankester? The Bacterium-germ in question, 

 it must be recollected, cannot be supposed to liave undergone 

 any extreme amount of desiccation previous to its immersion in 

 the experimental fluid, since such desiccation would have already 

 destroyed its life, according to Dr. Sanderson. 



Whilst Mr. Lankester is seeking the solution of the problem 

 above stated, perhaps he might w-ith advantage also reflect a 

 little more closely upon the possible value or otherwise of some 

 of the negative results to which he is so fond of alluding. It 

 is perhaps scarcely necessary for me to remind Mr. Lankester 

 that the obtaining of such negative results is always easy, and 

 may show nothing more than the relative incapacity of the ex- 

 perimenter for performing careful work according to instructions. 

 Not long ago Mr. Lankester, upon the strength of his own nega- 

 tive results, triumphantly announced that he was about to prove 

 to the world the falsity of my views, and so help to justify the 

 opinion which he at the same time expressed as to my being 

 " the mesmerised victim of delusion," " an abnormal psyclio- 

 logical phenomenon," and many other fine things. But unfor- 

 tunately for Mr.Lankester, just about the same time Dr. Sanderson 

 (whose opinions he so much respects) had an opportunity of 

 satisfying himself that I could demonstrate tlie experimental 

 results which Mr. Lankester failed to obtain. Dr. Sanderson 

 helped to show, in fact, that my positive results were worth more 

 than the many negative results obtained by other worl^ers. 



Finally, I think it necessary to add a few words concerning 

 the views of my colleague. Dr. Sanderson, on the subject of 

 heterogenesis, simply because I find his experiments and supposed 

 views frequently quoted by Mr. Lankester, and others, as evi- 

 'dence of the erroneous nature of my conclusions. 



I have been led by my experiments to believe in Heterogenesis 

 and also in Archebiosis, but I regard the recognition of the present 

 occurrence of Heterogenesis as of far more importance than the 

 recognition of Archebiosis. Now tlie controversy between Need- 

 ham and Spallanzani, and also that between Pasteur and Pouchet 

 was as to the present occurrence or non-occurrence of hetero- 

 genesis. This was what tliey understood, and what the majority 

 of people at the present day still understand, as " Spontaneous 

 Generation." And as to the reality of this process, Dr. Sander- 

 son has been convinced. He admits that Bacteria may appear in 

 flasks, and other situations, where we are warranted in believing 



that no bacterial matter pre-existed — which is exactly equivalen 

 toa belief in "Spontaneous Generation," in the sense implied by 

 Pasteur and others. In support of this statement I have 

 only to make the following quotations from his papers and 

 reported speeches of the last two years. Referring to experi- 

 ments made in 1871, Dr. Sanderson says : " Bacteria could not 

 be shown to be present either actually or in germ in the healthy 

 liquids or tissues, or in the products of healthy inflammation" 

 [British Medical Journal, May II, 1872, p. 508). This statement 

 was made with reference to man, and also to the lower animals 

 with which he had experimented. In another part of the same 

 communication as it stands revised in tlie "Transactions of the 

 Patholog.cal Society," for 1872, Dr. Sanderson says : " If a few 

 drops of previously boiled and cooled dilute solution of ammonia 

 are injected underneath the skin of a guinea-pig, a diffuse inflam- 

 mation is produced, the exudation liquid of which is found, after 

 twenty-four Itours, to be charged with Bacteria." Other chemi- 

 cal agents will act in the same way even when every precaution 

 against external contamination has been adopted ; and as a drop 

 of this fluid introduced with equal care into the peritoneum of 

 another animal is always capable of exciting the phenomena of 

 pyicmia. Dr. Sanderson has made known the very important fact 

 that this process "can be proved to be capable of originating 

 from inflammations produced by chemical agents under con- 

 ditions which preclude the possibdity of the introduction of any 

 infecting matter from without." Again, in a speech delivered 

 last month before the Clinical Society, and reported verbatim in 

 the British Medical Journal for March 24, Dr. .Sanderson in- 

 sists upon the complete establisliment of the truth of this latter 

 proposition both for man and the lower animals. He says : 

 ' ' We must admit that the whole process of pytemia can originate 

 in the organism independently of external influences." But, as 

 he also says : " In every pyxmic inflammation — whether it be a 

 primary or a secondary one — in every forjn of pyjemic action, 

 you have always the presence of septic products," that is of 

 Bacteria. Now if Bacteria Ijy their germs do not normally exist 

 in the tissues of animals, and if you can determine their presence 

 there at will under conditions which, as Dr. Sanderson says, " pre- 

 clude the possibility of the introduction of any infecting matter 

 from without," what must be the mode of origin of the Bacteria 

 in such cases, and how can Dr. Sanderson do other than yield 

 his assent to the docttine of " Spontaneous Generation," or 

 Heterogenesis, so far as the origin of Bacteria is concerned ? 

 University College, April 6 H. Charlton Bastian 



Earthquake in St. Thomas 



On the morning of the nth instant at 4.30 A.M., a smart 

 shock, accompanied by a rumbling noise, like that of a waggon 

 rolling over rough pavement, travelling, as is usual here, from 

 east to west, woke up the inhabitants of St. Thomas. It was 

 followed within a few seconds by another shock, to the full as 

 abrupt in its character as the first ; the movement appeared to 

 be not so much nndulatory as vertical. 



The concussion produced was felt still more distinctly within 

 the harbour itself, where the jar communicated to the ships 

 resembled, as one of the captains described it, that which might 

 be produced by a heavy bale falling through the hatchways into 

 the hold. Simultaneously the water of the bay, then perfectly 

 still, assumed a turbid appearance, as though clouded by mud 

 and sand ; and a little later the surface was agitated by a strong 

 ripple from the south, lasting some time. 



On the same morning early the royal mail steamer Corsica, 

 commanded by Capt. Herbert, was at anchor discharging cargo 

 off the harbour of Dominique, about 170 miles distant from St. 

 Thomas, S.E. The harbour is on the side of the island, and 

 sheltered from the swell produced by the trade winds ; the 

 weather calm. Just about 5 a.m. a succession of heavy rollers 

 broke in ; they lasted for half an hour, and rendered all com- 

 munication with the shore during that space impossible. No 

 shock was (elt on board the Corsica, but Cajjtain Herbert caused 

 note to be taken of the marine phenomenon, not doubting that 

 it must have been due to an earthquake, as indeed was evidently 

 the case. 



The centre of disturbance would appear to have been in this 

 case under the sea at some distance S.E. from St. Thomas, a 

 direction often indicated in such occurrences. On one occasion 

 only, that of the severe shock of November 1867, did the move- 

 ment seem to have been propagated from due south, its centre 



