FOREWORD 23 



suggested, in fact, that the organisms I had found 

 in my experimental vessels were only organisms 

 previously contained in the fluid, but killed by the 

 heat to which they had been subjected. 



Nor is it possible for any reasonable person to 

 suppose that, in taking the samples from the just- 

 opened tubes by means of sterilised pipettes, organ- 

 isms could have been derived from the air during 

 the passage of the sample (within the pipette) 

 to the microscope slip. Looking to what has been 

 immediately found on microscopical examination, 

 and which is shown by the photographs (mostly 

 taken within half an hour) , any such view cannot 

 be deemed worthy of serious consideration. 



In the face of the results of these experiments 

 is it or is it not important that the experiments 

 should be repeated by others? The Royal So- 

 ciety would appear to think that any confirmation 

 of Natural Knowledge in this direction is not 

 desirable. 



That may be so; but I take a different view, 

 and sincerely hope that others may repeat these 

 experiments and seek to obtain similar results. 

 All that will be needed are some tubes of soft soda 

 glass, similar to those that I have employed, a 



