Page 136 - Ethel D. Hume - Bešam ili Paster: Izgubljeno poglavlje u istoriji biologije

CHAPTER XI
Nature's Experiments
We have taken a cursory peep at Bechamp's arduous toil
in his laboratory; but he himselfwould have been the first
to insist upon the greater importance he attached to
experiments directly undertaken by Nature. To these he
gave incessant study. Whenever possible, he would visit
the hospital wards and make a close examination of the
cases. He carefully followed the medical work of Professor
Estor and of the many other doctors with whom he was
associated at Montpellier.
A cyst, which required to be excised from a liver, pro-
vided a wonderful demonstration of the doctrine of
bacterial evolution, for there were found in it microzymas
in all stages of development, isolated, associated,
elongated; in short, true bacteria. Dr Lionville, one of
Bechamp's medical pupils, had his interest greatly aroused,
and demonstrated that the contents of a blister include
microzymas and that these evolve into bacteria.
With extraordinary patience and industry, Professor
Bechamp and his colleagues continued their medical
researches, finding the microzymas in all healthy tissues,
and microzymas and many forms of bacteria in various
phases of development in diseased tissues. Punctuating
his clinical study by laboratory tests, the Professor
instituted many experiments, which space forbids our
enumerating, to prove that the bacterial appearances
were not due to external invasions.
1
One day an accident provided an interesting contribu-
tion to the observations. A patient was brought to the
hospital of the Medical University of Montpellier suffering
from the effects of an excessively violent blow upon the
1
Les Microzymas, par A. BSchamp, p. 181.
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