obscurity of scientific publications and made objects of general
and crowning interest. It was Pasteur who first successfully
combated the chemical theory of fermentation by showing that
albuminous matter had no inherent tendency to decomposition. It
was Pasteur who first clearly demonstrated that these little
bodies, like all larger animals and plants, come into existence
only by ordinary methods of reproduction, and not by any
spontaneous generation, as had been earlier claimed. It was
Pasteur who first proved that such a common phenomenon as. the
souring of milk was produced by microscopic organisms growing in
the milk. It was Pasteur who first succeeded in demonstrating that
certain species of microscopic organisms are the cause of certain
diseases, and in suggesting successful methods of avoiding them.
All these discoveries were made in rapid succession. Within ten
years of the time that his name began to be heard in this
connection by scientists, the subject had advanced so rapidly that
it had become evident that here was a new subject of importance to
the scientific world, if not to the public at large. The other
important discoveries which Pasteur made it is not our purpose to
mention here. His claim to be considered the founder of
bacteriology will be recognised from what has already been
mentioned. It was not that he first discovered the organisms, or
first studied them; it was not that he first suggested their
causal connection with fermentation and disease, but it was
because he for the first time placed the subject upon a firm
foundation by proving with rigid experiment some of the
suggestions made by others, and in this way turned the attention
of science to the study of micro-organisms.

After the importance of the subject had been demonstrated by