Athothis : a satire on modern medicine / by Thomas C. Minor.

by man contains countless myriads of such animated forms." " What!" exclaimed Paulus Androcydes, in surprise and violent indignation. " Do you dare to insinuate that our modern germ theory is false ? Ah ! my Egyp- tian growler, no fact is better established in our noble science than that disease is entirely dependent on the morbific action exercised by these minute organisms. Let us reason on our point logically. I boldly assert, if there be no germs in disease, all diseases are germless. Something can not be induced by nothing. Nor can that which has no existence be developed into what is, ergo, you must grant that to produce what has no existence is an impossibility. Now, reversing this proposition, according to the same subtile reasoning, I assert that it has been demonstrated that disease is dependent on germs. Therefore, all maladies are germ diseases ; for something will produce a similar something. That which exists is redeveloped into what is, ergo, all that exists had a pre-existence." " Stop !" shouted Athothis. " If you had lived under the first dynasty, an immense pyramid would have been erected to your memory. Such logical reasoning is truly wonderful, and might induce germs of thought of new form, the bacilli of a diseased imagination." " You are personal!" cried Paulus Androcydes, wrath- fully, " and will not listen to the voice of reason." " What reason or logic is there in the causation of disease?" retorted Athothis. " I believe in the germ theory as I do in my own ex- istence," answered Paulus Androcydes, growing more and more enraged. " I have seen germs with my own eyes, on a microscopic slide, and can not doubt my own