Fermentations by Organisms 807 



Experiment CCCXCVII. July 21, 1874. 6 o'clock in the evening. 

 Pieces of meat placed: 



A. In a corked matrass; 



B, in a similar matrass, the neck of which I draw out in a flame, 

 leaving only a little orifice. I put it into the iron apparatus, and raise 

 the pressure to 15 superoxygenated atmospheres. 



July 22. The pressure has fallen; I take B out, and shake it so that 

 all the walls are wet. Then I put it back and raise the pressure to 8V2 

 superoxygenated atmospheres. 



A begins to smell bad. 



July 23. Taken to 12 superoxygenated atmospheres. 



July 24. Taken to 15 superoxygenated atmospheres. 



July 30. The pressure is 14 atmospheres; I make the decompres- 

 sion, and close the tapering end of B with a flame; no odor, amber 

 color. 



A smells simply horrible. 



January 17, 1875. Presented to the Society of Biology. A is a mass 

 of decay horrible in appearance and odor. 



B, which I do not open, has retained its original form and appear- 

 ance. One merely sees some white spots which seem to be fat. 



May 27, 1875. A is horrible; no fibers recognizable through the 

 microscope. 



B has burst in the night; the meat is amber colored; it has kept 

 its consistency, its fibers with their striae; slightly alkaline; rather 

 weak odor of decay. 



Experiment CCCXCVIII. January 22. Strips of meat, each weigh- 

 ing 20 gm., suspended: 



A. In the glass compression apparatus at 5 atmospheres of air, 

 which represent 3250 cc. of air. 



B. In a bell containing 2500 cc. of air, at normal pressure. 



C. In a bell of 7100 cc, at a half -atmosphere. 



January 26. The three pieces of meat have an alkaline reaction. A 

 has a slight odor. B smells considerably worse than C. 



The air of A contains 20.4% of oxygen; that of B 16.5%; that of 

 C 19.2%. 



From these figures we draw the conclusion that in apparatus A 

 100 grams of meat have consumed 81 cc. of oxygen; in bell B, 550 

 cc, and in bell C, only 300 cc 



Experiment CCCXCIX. January 28. Strips of meat, each weigh- 

 ing 39 grams, placed in the same apparatuses as in the preceding 

 experiment: 



A. At 3 atmospheres of air, potash solution in the bottom of the 

 apparatus. 



B. Normal pressure. 



C. A third of an atmosphere. 



February 2. A little odor in all; all the meat alkaline. 



A contains 12.9% of oxygen. B 16.1%. C 18.2%. Therefore per 

 100 grams there was a consumption of -oxygen: in A of 405 cc; in 

 B of 313 cc; in C of 103 cc. 



