90 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Origin of the lowest Organisms.* — F. Krasan, in an extraor- 

 dinary production published iu the Transactions of a learned Society 

 as a serious paj^er, discusses the hypothesis of a possible archibiosis 

 in the case of the lowest organisms, and supports his ojjinion in 

 favour of this mode of origin in at any rate a spirited manner by the 

 results of a series of experiments. He does not contest the argu- 

 ment that many of the lowest forms arise from such germs as may 

 be contained in dust, but insists that the proof of such an origin 

 is miich hindered by the mechanical difficulties of manipulation. 

 The experiments are divided into three series '.-^ 



1, Kelations of Bacteria to certain microscopic structures con- 

 tained in the seeds of many plants, and the action of phosphate of 

 hydrogen, soda, and ammonia (microcosmic salt) and atmospheric 

 dust : — 



The close connection alleged to exist between bacterian move- 

 ments and the molecular movements of organic particles is illus- 

 trated by the phenomena exhibited by drops of oil derived from 

 seeds, such as those of the parsnep and of melons and gourds, also 

 hazel-nut kernels, broken up in water (either distilled, stream, or 

 spring water). These drops are of ditierent sizes, and generally 

 contain vacuoles filled with water, coloured pale red, and each sur- 

 rounded by a bluish-green halo, the whole mass being greenish-grey 

 or pale green ; they consist of a mixture of oil, albumen, and a 

 carbohydrate. If one of the superficial vacuoles is closely examined, 

 it is seen to contain an immense number of very minute roundish 

 bodies in rapid movement of a swarming character. The vacuole 

 increases in size by pushing its way to the exterior, where it finally 

 bursts, discharging its contents into the surrounding water ; a small 

 portion remains, and is enclosed by the collapsed oil-globule. The 

 minute bodies thus liberated move towards the edge of the cover- 

 glass, and at the same time approach each other in pairs, and after 

 rotating very rapidly become quiescent and unite, forming cylin- 

 drical masses. These are considered by the writer to be half-formed 

 bacteria, and they are said to be almost identical in appearance with 

 true bacteria, but differ in possessing the property of dichroism, 

 which becomes more marked towards the edge of the glass, and is 

 probably, together with the phenomena of conjunction, connected 

 with the proximity of the air. These bodies may be dried, and yet 

 resume their characters when again moistened. 



The following differential experiments were undertaken. To 

 equal parts of a 5^ to 6 per cent, solution of sugar in distilled water 

 was added a rather smaller proportion of gypsum or freshly 

 burned coal-ash (rich in sulj^hate of lime) ; to one-half of the 

 mixture was added 20-40 milligrams of atmospheric dust, to the other 

 half 4-8 milligrams of the phosphate salt ; both were stirred, covered, 

 and set aside in a temperature of 10°-14° C. In 48 hours the dust- 

 containing mixture contained isolated bacteria in active movement, 

 while the other showed quantities of them, forming groups on the air- 

 bubbles ; thus a small amount of the phosphate salt was more pro- 

 * Verb. zool.-lx3t. Ges. AVien, xxx. (1881) pp. 267-327 (1 pi.)- 



