Show The Population of the Air Ancient Pantheism animated all nature Gnomes in caverns naiads in springs sylphs in the air represented repre-sented life pervading everything Twenty centuries having passed science has resuscitated these elementary elemen-tary genii under the form of organic germs and we are forced today to recognze that the reality surpasses all the bold conceptions of the fable Prom pole to pole the atmosphere transports myriads of microscopic animals an-imals and lanta They are counted by hundreds in each cubic metre of air that we breathe in Paris Developing Devel-oping themselves in the organic infusions infu-sions into which they fall they soon determine their complete decomposition decomposi-tion and they play their part in virulent vir-ulent diseases and in fermentations No doubt is permissible on this point i after the admirable labors of M Pasteur Pas-teur and every day a new workman brings his stone as a contribution to tbe grand edifice of which this illustrious illus-trious physiologist bas drafted the plan and himself laid the impregnable impregna-ble foundations Popular Science Monthly |