266 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Dr. Dallinger, if we remember right, on one occasion watched for 

 some day and a half, incessantly, a solution in which nothing could be 

 seen ; at last organisms began to appear, " like stars on a summer 

 evening." If so, then Dr. Bastian's bacteria are giants when adult 

 compared with the "white specks" and their earlier possible stages. 

 Dr. Bastian does not seem to take any precautions to exclude living 

 organisms, as Tyndall did, and then found nothing could arise of a 

 living nature ; so that one naturally thinks that Dr. Bastian's organisms 

 came from the air. Indeed, he says : " It is well to see that one or more 

 minute air bubbles exist somewhere in the film before applying some 

 melted paraffin wax round the edge of the cover-glass" (page 52). 

 What is to prevent these bubbles from contaminating the fluid with the 

 invisible "originals " of bacteria? Dr. Bastian offers three alternatives : 



(a) The germs, though visible, had escaped observation ; 



(b) The germs were invisible ; 



(c) Archebiosis. 



" The solution of this great problem passes beyond the reach of actual 

 observation" (page 54). 



If such be the case, then there is no other resource than to fall back 

 upon analogies and probabilities. Dr. Bastian, of course, accepts the 

 third hypothesis, and observes with regard to the second : ." Invisible 

 germs have only a hypothetical existence." Quite so, until they come 

 into sight and are then visible as "faint specks." But something alive 

 must, we think, have preceded the faint specks, though not visible till 

 the latter were perceptible. 



After discussing the possibility of crystalloids changing into colloids, 

 he says : " These facts sufficiently show that, notwithstanding all their 

 differences in property, the transition is fairly easy from the one to the 

 other isomeric state " (p. 71). From this he infers that " it surely should 

 not be difficult to imagine that molecular re-arrangements may take place 

 among the constituents of ammoniacal salts of greater complexity, whereby 

 a colloid may be produced capable of entering into the formation of that 

 simplest form of protoplasm." 



This suggests four questions in respect of the words we have italicised. 

 Perhaps it is possible to "imagine," but where is there any evidence? 

 Why are not the salts mentioned of "greater complexity," but left to the 

 reader's imagination ? How can the colloid be " capable " of any trans- 

 formation into protoplasm without the aid of life pre-existent ? What is 

 meant by the "simplest" form of protoplasm, as all chemical formula 

 for protoplasm are exceedingly complex ? Even supposing certain 

 crystalloids could become colloids, and colloids be transformed into 

 protoplasm, how is the last to become alive? For living protoplasm 

 can readily be killed, as Dr. Bastian frequently shows. 



Dr. Bastian compares the origin of organisms to a " silver tree " ; that as 

 its "origin and growth occur simultaneously" [successively ?], " conditions 

 favourable for growth " may be equally true for living matter. So he tells us 

 " we may be encouraged to hope that some conditions may be at last dis- 

 covered, under the'influence of which it may be freely admitted that living 

 matter will take its origin, as well as merely grow, within some saline 

 solution " (p. 142). ^ So that, after all, we are no nearer any sure and certain 



