from an Arfricultural and Veterinary Point of View. 67 
exclaimed in a discourse at the Sorbonne, " which justifies the 
assertion that microscopic organisms come into the world with- 
out germs, or without parents like themselves. Those who 
maintain the contrary have been the dupes of illusions and of 
badly conducted experiments, tainted with errors which they 
knew not how to perceive or avoid. Spontaneous generation is 
a chimera." 
And Flourens, permanent Secretary of the Academy, hitherto 
neutral in the discussion, said on the same occasion : "As long as 
my opinion was not formed I had nothing to say ; now it is formed, 
I can speak. The experiments are decisive. If spontaneous 
generation be a fact, what is necessary for the production of ani- 
malculae ? Air and putrescible liquids. Now Pasteur puts 
together air and putrescible liquids, and nothing is produced. 
Spontaneous generation, then, has no existence. Those who 
still doubt have failed to grasp the question." Subsequently, in 
England, Dr. Bastian became the strenuous advocate of spon- 
taneous generation, but the crucial experiments and absolutely 
convincing demonstrations of Professor Tyndall, finally abo- 
lished the erroneous ideas which had prevailed for so many 
centuries. 
As is well known, the production of silk forms the principal 
industry of several Departments in the South of France, and the 
rearing of silkworms occupies the time and attention of great 
numbers of people — chiefly agriculturists. Previous to 1849, 
this industry had been particularly flourishing ; but in that 
year, after an exceptionally good silk-harvest, and without any 
appreciable cause, several of the large establishments were 
visited by disease among the worms, and this in the course of 
time assumed the proportions of a plague among the silkworm- 
nurseries, until at last the silk-husbandry of France was on the 
verge of ruin. The symptoms of the disease were numerous 
and variable, and sometimes the worms died early, at other times 
not before the first, second, or third moulting ; oftentimes the eggs 
were sterile. Instead of becoming white, the worms retained a 
rusty tint ; they did not eat ; spots appeared on their bodies like 
black bruises, which were scattered over the head, rings, and feet. 
Every batch or brood attacked perished. Fresh eggs were im- 
ported from abroad, and at first these hatched well — so much so, 
that the year 1853, when a large quantity of these foreign worms 
were reared, was estimated as one of the most productive of the 
century, 130,000,000 francs being derived as revenue from the 
cocoons. But the following year the eggs from these worms 
were found to be no better than the French eggs — they were 
also infected. To add to the misfortune, the malady extended 
to Spain and Italy, then to Greece and Turkey, until, in 1864, 
F 2 
