CHAPTER III 



THE ORIGIN OF BACTERIA AND OF OTHER 

 MICRO-ORGANISMS 



In consideration of the recent revival of the interest in the question of 

 the origin of living matter, a work on bacteriology would be incomplete 

 without a brief mention of the subject, for the origin of bacteria is one with 

 the origin of life. Despite the interest mentioned we must from the outset 

 admit that the answer to the riddle of life has not yet been solved. Many 

 theories have been advanced, some apparently ridiculous and whoUy 

 without scientific warrant; others interesting but not plausible; some 

 apparently scientifically sound but lacking in one or more essentials and 

 hence inconclusive. The following are a few of the more important hyop- 

 theses and theories. 



I. Spontaneous Generation. — This has already been referred to in 

 Chapter II. According to this idea, not only microbes, but highly com- 

 plex organisms, as insects, fish, mice, etc., might, under suitable surround- 

 ings arise de novo, without a preexisting parent. Paracelsus gave specific 

 instructions as to the creation of the "homunculus." These old time 

 absurdities need not be entered into further. Until quite recently, the 

 belief in the spontaneous origin of simple forms of life (bacteria, protozoa, 

 lower algae and fungi) was common among the leading scientists. How- 

 ever, the rapidly accumulating evidence of scientific investigations soon 

 proved the entire erroneousness of this belief also. As soon as the scien- 

 tific world became convinced, in the face of incontrovertible evidence, 

 that life does not originate spontaneously, and that it could not be devel- 

 oped artificially in the laboratory, a tendency began to manifest itself to 

 dispose of the entire matter as follows. Although life does not originate 

 spontaneously at the present time, it must have originated spontaneously at 

 some time in the distant past. Conjectures were advanced as to what the 

 remarkable life giving conditions of this remote past might have been, 

 but none of the suggestions proved satisfying. There was nothing tangi- 

 ble or significant proposed or stated, and at the present time this idea is 

 no longer discussed among scientists. It receives a fleeting mention in 

 the class room perhaps, but it is no longer considered worthy of a place in 

 scientific literature. The entire concept is scientifically dry and meatless 

 and shall be disposed of with this brief mention. 



