November, 1882. 
THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST. 
57 
bacillus. This question is one of great interest and of 
supreme importance to Australians, as the prevalence of pul- 
monary consumption is by Dr. Thomson reported to be more 
prevalent in Victoria than in some countries. “It has been 
estimated that about one-seventh of the human race die of 
tubercular disease, or consumption, as it is called, and, further, 
that of the deaths in middle life fully one-third are caused by 
this fatal disease. This dreadful scourge has gone on, and 
still goes on, unhindered, at least to any marked extent, by 
any human effort, backed up by all the advanced medical 
science of the day. By hygienic precautions and a more pro- 
found knowledge of the disease, there is little doubt that of 
late years it has been in some small degree successfully 
opposed ; nevertheless, those who know most of it cannot but 
acknowledge our comparative helplessness in the face of this 
enemy. But knowledge is strength. Consumption is now 
admitted on all hands to be contagious. For the last twenty 
years the contagiousness or infectiousness of this disease has 
been suspected, and various experimenters have more or less 
satisfactorily demonstrated its high probability. Creighton, 
Burdon-Sanderson, Giboux, Martin, and more recently Klebs, 
Cohnheim, and others advanced still another step in the same 
direction, but it has remained for Professor Koch, of Breslau, 
now chief of the imperial medical department of Berlin, to 
demonstrate it as a germ disease, transmissible by inoccula- 
tion, and that its contagiousness is due to a form of bacillus, 
one of those low orders of germs which appear to be at the 
bottom of many diseases to which the human as well as other 
animals are prone. Now, assuming this to be the case, such 
knowledge gives great strength, for the modes of resisting 
contagion offer at once a prospect of in some degree stemming 
the onward course of this destroyer. And, again, if it should 
be further shown, as we may reasonably hope, that being a 
contagious germ disease it is not an hereditary one, then we 
may cheerfully anticipate that science will find effective 
weapons to check the spread of this fatal disease. Speaking 
of this brings to my memory a brochure published six years 
ago (1876) by Mr. Wm. Thomson, of South Yarra, entitled, 
Histo-Chemistry and Pathogeny of Tubercle , which I re- 
t ferred to in a former address. In this pamphlet he discusses 
at length the pathogeny of tubercle, and gives his reasons for 
concluding it to be a purely germ disease. On page 27 
he says — “ The idea of micrococci being in any way associated 
with the process of tuberculosis is a recent one ; and the ex- 
planation of their mode of operation is, at least as far as I am 
aware, now for the first time in the history of pathology 
attempted, with what degree of success remains to be seen.” 
What has now been demonstrated by Koch was undoubtedly 
indicated as of the highest probability in Thomson’s pamphlet 
of 1876, and reiterated at greater length and with fuller 
illustrations in another pamphlet in 1879, and afterwards by 
Cohnheim in his work on the Contagiousness of Tubercle , 
published in 1880, who says — 14 We must look forward to the 
day when the ‘ tubercle corpuscule ’ shall have been discovered 
in the form of a minute organism.” 
We understand that a great divergence of view has taken 
place between Koch and Pasteur upon the question of the 
cause of tuberculosis. Dr. Thompson was first led to adopt 
the theory which he propounded some years ago (and which 
has been, it is assumed by some, adopted by European 
etiologists) by reasoning from analogy. As the scab disease 
in sheep is caused by the acarus scabbed, and ringworm by the 
presence and propagation of a microphyllon on the skin, &c., 
so he concluded that typhoid, consumption, &c., were caused 
by specific germs. 
BOTANICAL EXCURSION OF THE STUDENTS OF THE 
MELBOURNE SCHOOL OF PHARMACY. 
At the end of August an excursion was proposed to and ac- 
cepted with delight by the students generally ; but one could 
notice that some faces became overshaded as from a cloud of 
difficulty hovering in the distance that would likely prevent 
them from participating. 
A concilium was at once held to choose the locality to be 
visited, and the animus exhibited in studying maps and rail- 
way lines was such as could not be surpassed by a council of 
war, having under consideration the strategy of an attack. 
It was decided to traverse per pedes apostolorum the coast- 
line from Cheltenham to Brighton Beach railway station, a dis- 
tance of eight or nine miles ; and Tuesday, the 29th of August, 
was fixed for the excursion. 
The nine o’clock train took us in about an hour to Chelten- 
ham, situated a couple of miles from the bay, and we at once 
followed the road leading straight towards it, and within a few 
minutes, on both sides of the road, groups were busily engaged 
in collecting, studying, and discussing botanical specimens. 
The sandy soil, alternating with clayey patches in close 
proximity to the beach, produces a flora with the physiognomy 
in which heaths and their consorts predominate, and some 
members of the Epacridece family became soon visible. 
The beautiful Epacris impressa , with its different roseate 
tints was very rare, while specimens of the white flowering 
species of Epacris were as common as Erica Tetralix and 
Calluna vulgaris in the heath districts of the old country. 
The other Epacridece we found were Styphelia virgata and 
Correa speciosa. This latter, the Australian Fuchsia, we met 
in many large and handsome specimens ; and intermixed with 
these undershrubs we frequently came across Bossicea cinerea ; 
but only rarely another leguminous plant the Hovea licterophilla , 
by some called the Australian Forget-me-not, and occurring in 
great abundance about Oakleigb. Of Kennedy a prostrata we 
found specimenscreeping over six feet of ground, and covered 
profusely with its splendid scarlet-coloured corollas. 
Only a solitary but magnificent representative of Acacia 
Latrobei was discovered, and of the very many indigenous 
Mimosece we collected specimens of Acacia armata , A. 
oxycedrus, A. longifolia, and A. suaveolens. 
Of the Droseracece family we found Drosera Whitacheri , 
with its large and Drosera granduligera , with its crimson 
petals ; and of Drosera Menziesii we noticed a specimen thirty- 
six inches high climbing around the branches of a Correa 
viridis in a fantastical manner. 
The lily tribe was represented by thousands of specimens 
of Anguillaria Australis — this very pretty and to botanists 
highly interesting Spring messenger. We found all the 
different varieties — the staminate, the pistellate, the herma- 
phrodite, and the uni floral forms — and scarcely less frequently 
occurred the bright yellow blooming Hypoxis glabella. 
Of the Rannculacece we met besides the Rannculus aguati - 
lis, that beautiful dioecious creeper, Clematis micropliylla , of 
which, in one instance, we found specimens of both sexes run- 
ning high up a Banhsia , encircling and embracing each other 
in a most tender fashion. 
Although the order Orchidacece is represented by numerous 
genera in the locality, we found only the modest little Jack-in- 
the-box, Pterostylos connmna, growing in groups of many 
specimens under Tea-tree hedges. 
Only a few specimens were found of Tetratheca ciliata , 
Caulinia prootrata , Cassythe pubercens , Comcsperma volu- 
bilis, Crccpedia Richei, Pimelia phylicoides, Heliclirisuvi scorpi- 
oides , Diuris pedunculata , and Isopogon ceratophyllum. 
Pteris aguilina abounds in Australia like in many other 
parts of the globe ; the other Eilices we found were Adianthum 
cethiopica and Cheilanthes tenuif olia. 
As dear old friends of my younger days, and involuntary- 
dwellers in Australia, sharing the fate of many other indivi- 
duals of the species Homo sapiens , I introduced to my little 
party Fumaria officinalis , Malva rotundifolia , Ur tic a urens , 
Vicia hirsuta, and Marrubium vulgare> and they were cordially 
received. quite in a sense of “ Les amis des vos amis sont no samis." 
The day was a glorious one, and the impressions received 
among the umbrageous groves on the high cliffs overhanging 
the beach, with a view of the magnificent mirror-like and end- 
less expanse at the bay, found a vent in the exclamation of 
David : — 
Opera Jehovce magna ! 
Exposita omnibus, gui dclectantur illis / 
Gloriosum et decorum opus ejus. 
About four o’clock we arrived at the Brighton Beach 
station, well pleased with our collections and general success, 
carrying with us pleasant and, I believe, non-evanescent 
recollections of the many happy incidents of this first botanical 
excursion — viz,, the luncheon in the boat on the beach, the 
plunge into the sea, the lonely fishermen’s huts, the meeting 
at the Red Bluff, &c.; and in parting we were repeating the 
adopted device — Fratres pharmaceutici conjuncti vivant / 
It is contemplated to visit in November the locality of the 
giant specimens of Eucalyptus amygdalina in the forest near 
Fernshaw, and we cordially invite all those that feel inclined 
to join. . . 
I embrace this opportunity to express my opinion that it 
is hardly fair to both student and teacher not to allow the 
I former sufficient time for his studies, or to detain him from 
