710 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



substance of two papers read by M. Pasteur, which have been con- 

 densed in the translation only so much as was rendered necessary by 

 the limited space which could be given them. 



M. Pasteur : At the last meeting of the Academy, M. Bouillaud 

 asked me the following question : " What are the ferments of the fer- 

 ments f'* 



Before entering into the details required by the answer to this 

 question, it is indispensable that I recall the results communicated by 

 me to the Academie des Sciences a week ago, for it is a question of life 

 under circumstances hitherto ignored. The gist of the communica- 

 tion to which I refer lies in this proposition the expression of rigor- 

 ously-conducted experiments that there are circumstances imder 

 which life may appear and be kept up without the presence of air, 

 and consequently with the entire absence of free oxygen. 



Here is a 3-litre flask containing 75 grammes of pure lactate of 

 lime, about half a gramme of the phosphate of ammonia, about 0.4 

 gramme of the phosphate of potash, 0.3 of the chloride of magnesium, 

 0.2 of the sulphate of ammonia, and a very small quantity of the sul- 

 phate of soda. Wq may substitute advantageously for all, except the 

 lactate, a salt of ammonia and the ashes of an inferior organism, brew- 

 er's yeast, for example. 



We boil the liquid contained in the flask, while the extremity of 

 this curved tube, which is so placed that it will collect all the gases 

 that may be liberated, is plunged below the surface of another portion 

 of the same liquid contained in another vessel, which is also boiled at 



the same time. The object of this operation is to deprive the con- 

 tents of the flask entirely of air. We then let it cool and carry the 

 curved end of the tube into a vessel filled with mercury. 



This liquid thus arranged would remain inert iorever, either pro- 

 tected from contact with the air, as it now is, or in contact with 

 it, provided the air were entirely free from organic dust. Never- 

 theless it is suitable for the nourishment of certain beings, notwith- 

 standing its purely mineral comj^osition. But life is absent and would 



