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gentlemen, and the controversy has been carried on by other distinguished 
investigators in Germany and England. The question may still be said to 
be upon the tapis in this country and perhaps in France. I can only sum 
it up in the way I have in this paper, that the notion of abiogenesis is driven 
as near to the vanishing point as possible. I may refer to our chairman that 
the tendency of the proof is against spontaneous generation. As regards 
what has been said by Mr. Walters, I can only say that I entirely concur with 
his statement of the impossibility of analyzing “ the vital spark ; ” but the 
contrast between life and crystallization is greater than his remarks would 
seem to imply. 
The Chairman. — On the subject of abiogenesis — that is the formation of 
life without previous existing life — the question is simply this. No one 
doubts that myriads of invisible germs of organic life are constantly floating 
about in the atmosphere, so minute as not to be detected ; and in regard to 
the experiments of Dr. Bastian and others who take his view, it would 
appear that certain fluids are prepared which contain the elements of low 
organized beings, such as those called bacteria and vibriones, or contain the 
elements of which these animals exist, so mixed up as to be peculiarly liable 
to develop such a formation. The simple fact seems to be this ; if you take 
these fluids and only take sufficient precautions to exclude the possibility of 
the entrance of germs, you will have no organization following, and no 
organized beings produced. I remember hearing a paper read at the Royal 
Society a short time ago, where Dr. Bastian’s experiments were repeated by 
another professor, whose name I cannot at the present moment remember. 
He took elaborate precautions to prevent the possibility of any germs being 
present in the fluid placed in the vessels or in the air which overlaid the 
fluid. He took precautions which appeared to be sufficient to exclude the 
possibility of any germs being present. The air was passed through strong 
acids which would entirely destroy organic life, and the fluid was subjected 
to such conditions as it appears to me must have excluded any germs. And 
also the vessel itself, for these germs are so minute that in the ordinary 
washing or wiping of the vessel multitudes of them might be left behind,, 
adhering to the surface of the glass, and which no mechanical wiping could 
remove. The simple result was this : wherever sufficient precautions are 
taken in the conduct of the experiments to prevent the admission of germs, 
— the fluid being introduced into a glass tube, and then hermetically sealed, 
so that there is no access of external air or of germs from any external 
sources, — the fluid will remain week after week, and month after month, 
without developing any organization whatever ; but break the end of the 
tube and allow a little air in, and in the course of twenty “fours you will have^ 
after this tube has been stationary for months without any change, multi- 
tudes of these low organized beings in it. They can only be introduced by 
means of germs contained in the air, and introduced into the tube when 
it was broken, and the external air allowed to enter it. From the 
recent experiments of Dr. Burdon Sanderson, the result is clear that if 
you take sufficient care to prevent the admission of germs into the fluids, no 
