58 Proceedings of Boyal Society of Edinburgh. [dec. 5, 
3. It lias been shown from the researches detailed in this paper 
that the vitality of Bacillus tuberculosis is considerable, and that it 
is capable of being dried up in the atmosphere for many weeks 
without its vitality being impaired. 
4. That Bacillus tuberculosis is capable of being disseminated by 
envelopes coming from phthisical patients. 
5. That the electric current destroys the vitality of certain 
microbes. 
6. That a new bacterium is the cause of putrefaction in the 
onion, liberating as a product of its life-history small quantities of 
H 2 S gas. This new microbe I have ventured to call Bacterium 
allium. 
7. That the soluble zymases secreted by living microbes are 
capable of being destroyed by germicidal agents. Hence, if 
destroyed, they are incapable of producing chemico-pathological 
changes in the blood and tissues. 
8. The most rational method of treating contagious diseases is 
by injection of some germicidal agent, either in solution or in the 
gaseous state. By destroying the microbes, the disease would be 
at an end. 
9. The germicidal agents used for injection purposes must not 
produce poisonous actions upon the blood and tissues, yet at the 
same time must be powerful enough to destroy the vitality of the 
microbes and their spores. 
10. It is upon the lines indicated in this memoir that the physi- 
cian in the future must look for a scientific method of treating those 
contagious diseases whose microbes reside in the blood. 
I wish to tender my best thanks to those friends who have ren- 
dered me assistance during these investigations, but more especially 
to Mr John Snodgrass and Dr Wood. 
Appendix. 
The following are abstracts from Mr Snodgrass’ letters : — 
(1) Letter of "l^th February 1887. — “ Some time since I obtained 
remarkable results by a simple process I devised for the inhalation 
of the volatilised vapour of iodine, with satisfactory results.” 
(2) Letter of Zrd March 1887. — “The result of inhalation of 
