24 Belation of Microsco^pic Fungi to \^fo^riTS.SnAm^ 
until sufficient matter was deposited on the cork ; this heavy matter 
he allowed to drop out after having loosened the cork, and examined 
it under the microscope. It contained the fruits or seed-capsules of 
fungi. 
If you want to have a few days' instructive amusement, I advise 
you to get yourselves a hook on the structure and transformations 
of fungi ; and when you have read that hook you will he a great 
deal wiser than you are at present, and he more particularly in a 
position to judge of propositions of pathology made hy fungological 
botanists. The method which botanists employ to investigate the 
development of fungi is, that they sow the sporules, if they can 
isolate them, on a medium on which they think they will thrive. 
They produce a mould, and they examine the various stages of 
growth in that mould, the fructification of it, and so forth, and then 
they take upon themselves to say : These sporules, these fungi, 
these fruits, and so forth belong to one plant, and are various stages 
of one plant. This method has given rise to great controversies 
among botanists, which are not decided yet, and to which I 
would not dare to introduce you. But of course it was applied by 
Halher to the " micrococcus " and the " seed-capsules " (capsules 
filled with micrococcus) of the cholera-stool. 
The professor put his sporules and seeds as far as he could 
isolate them into flasks containing various ingredients — sugar- water, 
paste, meat, &c. Of course it is reiterated in the account that 
precautions were observed to prevent the introduction of all foreign 
vegetable germs, and that the flasks were steamed, so that all 
naturally contained spores should be dead before the cholera-germs 
were introduced. When that, however, had been done, the growth 
of the cholera-fungus commenced. It would be impossible for me 
to lead you through the labyrinth of terms with which the professor 
studs his bewildering description. I will give you a few as an 
example. The " micrococcus " passes partly into " torula/' partly 
into " cryptococcus," and forms a " mycoderma." The " torula " 
passes into " oidium lactis," when one is quite relieved, to be sunk 
all the lower by the announcement that this " oidium lactis " is 
nothing else but the " cyhndro-tsenium cholerse asiaticse " of Thome. 
This belongs to the species " Penicillium," " Mucor," " Achlya," 
" Tilletia." The " oidium " forms the " macronidia," * which are the 
organs producing by germination the " mucor-plant." Amongst 
the micrococcus " there occurs also " arthrococcus " and the ubi- 
quitous and obliging chains of " leptothrix." All these forms lead 
to the discovery of a fungus of the " ustilaginese " tribe, with a 
tender " mycelium " and cystlike fruits. These latter determine the 
species to be " urocystis." A plate represents the appearances of 
most of the stages of its mysterious development. 
* Query : "Macroconidia ? 
