Mr. A. Gordon Salamon on Yeast. 571 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, March 29, 1889. 



William Ckookes, Esq. F.E.S. Vice-President, in the Chair. 



A. Gordon Salamon, Esq. A.R.S.M. F.I.C. F.C.S. M.B.I. 



Yeast. 



" Foe the first time in the history of the science, we are justified in 

 entertaining the sanguine, nay the certain hope, that medicine, so far 

 as epidemic illnesses are concerned, will soon be rescued from em- 

 piricism and placed upon a sound scientific basis. When this great 

 day shall arrive, mankind will, in my opinion, acknowledge that to 

 you is due the greatest sliare of its gratitude."* 



These words were penned in this building by Professor Tyndall 

 just thirteen years ago, and were addressed to M. Pasteur. The 

 reflection that they had reference mainly to researches which the 

 great French investigator had carried out during several years in 

 connection with the subject of this evening's discourse, will suffice to 

 constitute for it a sufficient claim upon your attentive consideration. 



It will be within the knowledge of those who have closely fol- 

 lowed the work of Pasteur, and have noted how contracted is the 

 circle of actual experiment, how expanded — yet how accurately traced 

 — the sphere of legitimate induction, that the results arising out of 

 his examination into the nature and properties of yeast constituted 

 the weapons which demolished the mischievous doctrine of spon- 

 taneous generation, fashioned the modern views respecting putrefac- 

 tive decomposition, and prepared the way for the prosecution of those 

 investigations which have already revolutionised the theory and 

 practice of Hygiene, Therapeutics, and Surgery. 



All this was not effected without concomitant controversy of the 

 keenest kind. Indeed, the protracted dispute which Pasteur sus- 

 tained with Liebig, and also with Fremy, regarding the rationale of 

 the decomposition of sugar solutions by yeast must always rank 

 among the most brilliant of his efi*orts. 



But, perhaps, the most interesting feature in connection with his 

 experiments upon yeast is that his abstruse physiological researches 

 should have been capable of direct translation into terms of industrial 

 utility ; and but for other work which he himself has done in this 

 direction, and but for that of Hansen, which I propose to consider this 

 evening, it would jDrobably be unique in the history of technology. 



As regards the value of that work, when considered from a com- 



* M. L. Pasteur, 'Etudes sur la Biere,' p. 382. Paris, Gauthier-Villars, 



1876. 



Vol. XII. (No. 83.) 2 q 



