THE MYCODERMA OF VINEGAR 127 



puscles of the blood, which are also charged with trans- 

 porting oxygen to the tissues, giving it up to certain sub- 

 stances in preference to others, thus carrying on the 

 oxidation that is needed, even if it is not voluntary and 

 premeditated. He had asked himself what would hap- 

 pen if the red corpuscles should become diseased in the 

 same way as the cells of the acetic ferment, arrested in 

 their development in the aldehyde stage of oxidation. 

 In short, he penetrated through his micro-organisms, into 

 the law^s of physiology and pathology. 



The practical consequences of his discoveries equalled 

 their theoretical promise. They restored security to 

 the Orleans vinegar manufacturers, who were hence- 

 forth masters of the mycoderma veil in their casks in- 

 stead of being subject to its demands and caprices; 

 they made it possible for the boldest of these men to 

 adopt a new method of manufacture w^hereby, instead of 

 leaving intact for a long period the pellicle formed on 

 the surface of the liquid, they resowed it and renewed 

 it at frequent intervals. Thus not only could one make 

 more rapid progress, but could regulate the production 

 to the demand, whereas, by the old Orleans method 

 production must be going on constantly and the casks 

 could not lie idle, lest they should become inert. 



But is it only in the Orleans process that the microbe 

 intervenes? Not at all. We find it also in the German 

 process, but it is less apparent there, because it is formed 

 in much less quantity. In Orleans, the white wines, 

 rich in organic matter, are used especially for vinegar- 

 making, and the layer which develops on the surface of 

 the liquid in the casks forms thereon sometimes a thick 

 veil. In Germany, little else is used for vinegar-making 

 except alcohols diluted with water and mixed with that 

 small quantity of wine, or sour beer, wdiich Liebig de- 

 manded. This liquid is not very nourishing and seems 



