A Science Fiction Short Story about a bacteriologist and an anarchist... Courtesy to my beloved students- Ms. Saniya Sebastian, Ms. Semiya Beevi C A, Ms. Ramsi Ashraf Khan & Ms. Nehla Jaleel

1. THE STOLEN
BACILLUS
- H. G. WELLS

3. H.G WELLS

4. H. G. WELLS
Herbert George Wells (1866-
1946) is a British writer and
social reformer.
He is a prolific writer of science
fiction novels, books on history,
politics and social commentary.
The Stolen Bacillus is a famous
short story published in 1895.

5. He is often called as “the father of
science fiction”.
His notable works were : The
Outline of History, The Time
Machine, The Invisible Man , The
War of the Worlds, The Island of
Doctor Moreau, The First Men in
the Moon, The Shape of Things to
Come, When the Sleeper Wakes,
etc.

6. Quite fancifully apocalyptic in
tone, his later works are
increasingly political and
didactic.
He was an outspoken socialist,
inclined towards Pacifist views.
His most consistent political
ideal was the World State.

7. He stated in his autobiography
that from 1900 onwards he
considered a World State
inevitable.
He envisioned the state to be a
planned society that would
advance science, end
nationalism, and allow people
to progress by merit rather than
birth.

8. SUMMARY
The Bacteriologist
has a visitor to his
laboratory, a pale
stranger who arrives
with a letter of
introduction from a
good friend of the
scientist.

9. The scientist
shows his visitor
the Cholera
Bacillus under a
microscope and
they talk about
the disease.

10. The visitor is particularly
interested in a vial containing
living bacteria, and the scientist
describes the power of cholera,
saying what a terrible epidemic
could be caused if a tube such as
the one he holds were to be
opened into the water supply.

11.  The scientist’s wife calls him
away for a moment; when the
scientist returns, the visitor is
ready to leave. As soon as the
visitor has gone, the scientist
realizes the vial of bacteria is
missing, that the visitor must
have stolen it.

12. He runs out in a panic, and
hails another cab to give chase
and his wife follows in a third
cab, with her husband’s shoes
and coat and hat.

13. He was an
Anarchist who
plans to release
the bacteria into
London’s water
supply. He needs
fame and this act
will reveal his
power and
importance.

14. In the
speeding cab,
however, he
accidentally
breaks the
glass vial.

15. He becomes a human vector
and swallows what is left in
the vial, and stops the cab,
realizing that he no longer
needs to flee.

16. There was a twist that
the vial did not
contain cholera, but a
strange new microbe
the Bacteriologist had
been studying, the
only known effect of it
is to make the skin of
the animals exposed
to it turn into bright
blue.

17. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS
GIVEN BELOW CHOOSING THE RIGHT
OPTION:
1. The Bacteriologist was impressed
by the visitors
Ans : Deep grey eyes
2.Why did the man decided to drink the
Bacillus drops?
Ans : To make sure that he would be
able to accomplish his purpose.

18. 3. Why did the bacteriologist chase the
anarchist?
Ans : He wanted to save the trouble and
expense of cultivating more bacteria for
the new experiment.
4. Why did Minnie follow her husband?
Ans: It was a hot day and he had forgotten
his hat and shoes.

19. ANSWER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING IN A
SENTENCE OR TWO:
1. What did the pale man see through the
microscope?
Ans: He saw the little streaks and shreds
of pink.
2. Give a description of anarchist.
Ans: The anarchist had lank black hair
and deep grey eyes and his expressions
were haggard and he looked nervous.

20. 3. What is meant by the phrase ‘pestilence
imprisoned’?
Ans: It means that the sealed bottle
contained dangerous living germs of
cholera.
4.Why does the visitor call the anarchist
rascals fools?
Ans: It is because they use bombs when
such deadly disease germs that can
cause mass destruction are available.

21. 5.How did the bacteriologist go out?
Ans: He went out hatless and in carpet slippers.
He was running and gesticulating wildly to
the pale man and the cab driver.
6. What were the comments made by the other
cab men?
Ans: They said it as a race.
7. How did the anarchist enter the laboratory of
the bacteriologist?
Ans: He entered laboratory with a note of
introduction from an old friend.

22. ANSWER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING IN
ABOUT 100 WORDS:
1. How does the bacteriologist
explain the potential danger
imprisoned in the tube of
Bacillus?

23. 2. Describe the chase
following the theft?

24. 3.Comment on the
Anarchist’s attempt to
spread cholera in the
concluding Para of the
story?

25. 4. How did the
bacteriologist react when
the Anarchist told him that
he had drunk the contents
of the tube?

26. ANSWER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING IN
ABOUT 300 WORDS:
1. Narrate in your own words
the story of “The Stolen
Bacillus” bringing out the
humor and irony.

27. 2. How does Wells combine
the serious and the
ridiculous in “The Stolen
Bacillus”?

28. THANK YOU
Presented by,
Saniya Sebastian
Semiya Beevi C A
Ramsi Ashraf Khan
Nehla Jaleel