Page 132 - Ethel D. Hume - Bešam ili Paster: Izgubljeno poglavlje u istoriji biologije

LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS 129

dusts are nothing else than the microzymas from orga-
nisms destroyed by the mechanism I have just explained
and whose destructive influence is added to that of the
microzymas belonging to the being in process of destruc-
tion. But in the atmospheric dusts there are not only the
microzymas; the spores of the entire microscopic flora may
intrude, as well as all the moulds that may be born of these
spores.'*
It must not be supposed that Bechamp founded such
manifold views upon any mere two series of observations.
From the date of his Beacon Experiment, he never ceased
from arduous work in connection with micro-organisms.
Together with Professor Estor, he instituted many experi-
ments upon inner organs subtracted from foetuses, acci-
dentally provided for them by abortions. Here again
they had overwhelming proof of bacterial evolution from
normal inherent particles, for, while they would find
bacteria in the interiors, the surrounding liquids, specially
prepared as accepted culture media, would be abso-
lutely free from such organisms. They spared themselves
no trouble. Space does not allow of more than a trifling
reference to a very few of their continual and varied
experiments, such, for instance, as those upon eggs, in
which, not contenting themselves with hen's, they pro-
cured ostrich eggs, with their hard tenacious shells, and
subjected these to innumerable tests. From the latter they
received evidence of the gradual evolution, in the fecun-
dated egg, ofthe united microzymas ofthe male sperm and
female germ cells into the organs and tissues of the
resultant feathered creature. They were also shown the
arrest of this development in eggs that were shaken and
disturbed and the internal substitution in the rotting egg
of chaplets of associated microzymas and swarming
bacteria.
In the course of their work, the Professors applied every
possible test to their experiments, sometimes admitting air
and sometimes rigorously excluding it. Their observations
began to be enthusiastically taken up by some of Professor