[Footnote 8: Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol. I, p. 64.]

When we remember that such nonsense constituted the wisdom of the
scientific world only about two centuries ago, we begin to realize the
fact that the doctrine of Biogenesis is indeed a very modern doctrine.
But it may be well to ask in passing, How could the people of former
ages understand or appreciate the great truth of Creation as we moderns
are able to do?

The first important step toward the refutation of this old pagan
doctrine of spontaneous generation was made by the Italian, Redi, in
1668. He noticed that flies are always present around decomposing meat
before the appearance of maggots, and he devised an experiment to keep
the flies away from actual contact with the meat. The meat putrified as
usual, but did not breed maggots; while the same kind of meat exposed
in open jars swarmed with them. He next placed some meat in a jar with
some wire gauze over the top. The flies were attracted by the smell of
the meat as usual, but could not reach the meat. Instead they laid their
eggs upon the gauze, where they hatched in due time, while no maggots
were generated in the meat. Thus from this time onward it became
gradually understood that, at least in the case of all the larger and
higher forms of life, Harvey's dictum, as announced some years
previously, was true, and that life comes only from life.

But the invention of the microscope opened the way for a renewal of the
controversy regarding the origin of life. Bacteria were discovered in
1683; and it was soon observed that no precautions with screens or other
stoppers could prevent bacteria and other low organisms from breeding in
myriads in every kind of organic matter. Here apparently was an entirely
new foundation for the doctrine of spontaneous generation. It was freely