MECHANISM OF DEATH 



375 



discussed, and has been shown to be due to one of three 

 possible causes. 



Whether the cause of death is starvation, injurious 

 action by fermentation products, or by some specific, 

 thermolabile compounds, the order of death should be 

 logarithmic. As a matter of fact, it is very nearly 

 logarithmic. 



In Table 130, p. 390, two experiments on the death 

 of Ps. fluorescens by suffocation are given. The two 

 checks, with air, show a normal growth until a maximum 



Table 119. — Death of Strept. lactis in Milk Culture 



is reached; this is followed by a decrease, which is death 

 by old age. The successive death rates, without 

 omission, after passing the maximum number, are : 



Exp. 1 0.0051 0.0052 0.0058 0.0045 0.0050 



0.0040 0.0036 0.0038 0.0029 0.0026 



0.0022 0.0022 



Exp. II 0.0115 0.0042 0.0060 0.0054 0.0047 



0.0048 0.0043 0.0031 0.0039 0.0034 



. 0031 . 0026 ^ . 0026 . 0024 . 0024 



The order of death allows for no conclusion regarding 

 its cause, but the very poor medium, together with the 

 very low maximum number of only seventy millions per 



