90 ORIGIN OF LOWEST ORGANISMS. 



Ammoniacal Solutions (in vacua) in Flasks which were her- 

 metically Sealed during Ebullition of their Fluids at a 

 Temperature of go F.* (Subsequently exposed in water - 

 bath to a Temperature of 75-85 F.). 



No. LVII. Ammonic Tartrate Solution after sixty 

 hours showed a slight sediment, with bluish flakes 

 attached to sides of flask. In eighty-four hours there 

 was a general bluish opalescence, and on microscopical 

 examination the fluid was found to contain multitudes 

 of Bacteria. 



No. LVIII. Ammonic Tartrate and Sodic Phos- 

 phate Solution. After sixty hours there was a slight 

 general bluish opalescence. In eighty-four hours the 

 general opalescence was not more marked, but there 

 were many flake-like aggregations in the fluid, which on 



which if more frequently borne in mind, would render universal 

 propositions more scarce (see * Journal of Chemical Society,' 

 March, 1871, pp. 72-74). The truth of the dictum " Ohne Phos- 

 phor gar kein Leben" is, I venture to think, far from being 

 proved. If on insufficient evidence (referring only to particular 

 fluids) such a dictum is arrived at ; and if then, the presence of 

 organisms in any fluid is to be taken as evidence of the existence 

 of phosphorus (even though this cannot be otherwise substan- 

 tiated), the case of phosphorus in relation to Life comes to be 

 similar to the case of the much abused germs. 



Mutato nomine, de te 

 Fabula narratur. 



* The fluids were boiled at the low temperature, with the aid 

 of an air-pump, merely in order to be able to procure a more 

 perfect vacuum in the flasks ; these experiments being destined 

 to show whether the simple (uninoculated) solutions would be- 

 come turbid in vacua that is to say, without the oxidizing influ- 

 ence of the air when they 'had not been exposed to an amount 

 of heat sufficient to destroy any living or dead ferments which 

 they might contain. 



