404 Dr. H. Charlton Bastian on the Origin 
to see, even if bacteriologists generally should be wrong in 
their views as to these points, how it would suffice to explain 
the development of Bacteria within all the cells of a kidney 
treated in the way I have mentioned. 
It is perfectly certain that the blood of healthy persons 
does not contain any appreciable number of active Bacteria. 
But are bacteriologists right in supposing that such Bacteria 
as get into the blood-stream are “destroyed”? May they 
not rather be reduced to a condition of latent vitality ? 
Their answer to this is that, if it were true, the organisms 
would be capable of revealing their presence when suitable 
media were inoculated with them and subsequently exposed 
to proper incubating temperatures. And it is the negative 
results of all such experiments with the blood of healthy 
animals that confirm them in their belief as to the germicidal 
qualities of the blood. 
Nor, in fact, if the blood were assumed to be full of latent 
germs of Bacteria, would it be easy, as I have intimated, to 
see how that would enable us to explain the development 
of Bacteria within almost every epithelial cell in the kidney 
referred to. Could organisms reduced to a condition of 
“latent vitality ’’ penetrate the walls of the capillaries, and 
thence migrate into all the cells of a kidney-tubule? The 
notion is again too preposterous to be entertained; so that 
we are compelled by evidence of a most convincing character 
to admit that the Bacteria have in reality been born in the 
individual cells of the kidney—we are compelled to believe 
that heterogenesis has, in fact, been taking place here as in 
the other instances previously cited. 
EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. 
PLATE XXYV. 
Fig. 1. Development of Bacteria between the cell-wall and the chloro- 
phyll layer in a living Nitella cell. x 700. 
Fig. 2. A. Early stages of Bacteria developing in primordial utricle of 
Potato cell. x 700. 
B. Early stages and developed Bacteria within a neighbouring 
cell, x 500. 
Fig. 3. A. Bacilli and Mycelia filaments within a cell of another 
Potato. X 500. 
B. Interlacing spore-bearing Bacilli in or on the primordial 
utricle of another cell from the same Potato, x 500. 
Fig. 4, A. Microorganisms developing in or on the primordial utricle of 
a small new Potato. x 500. 
B. More developed form of similar Crenothriz-like filaments in 
another cell of the same Potato. x 500. 
a 
