ON ARTIFICIAL REFRIGERATION. 955 



0° C. putrefaction-germs are inert and at 212° tbcy are boiled. lie goes 

 on to say tliat Mycodcrmia cervisiceis inert at C^, vegetates at 7'^, 8^, and 

 10° C, and above tbis temperature multiplies witb enormous activity, 

 but tben otlier parasitic ferments appear. Mycodermia aceti requires a 

 temperature from 20° to 25° C. The lactic ferment is produced from 25° 

 tx) 30° C. In beer-yeast, Mycodermia cervisicv or vini vegetates at 7° or 8°, 

 wbereas temperatures of 15° or 18° are required in raisin-yeast. Kotifera 

 remain inert for an indefinite period if dried ; in water, tliey move, 

 live, and bave an active existence. Yeast dried and pressed is inert ; 

 moistened, it fortbwitb manifests activity. Augustus Smitb found tbat 

 below 10° C. blood does not readily decompose ; above tbis tempera- 

 ture, cbanges occur wliicb are very rapid at 22° C. At 10° C, tbe i)utre- 

 faction of balf a litre of blood will yield 100 cubic centimetres of carbonic 

 acid in 24 bours. At 22° C, tbe same quantity, in tbe same time, will 

 yield 400 cubic centimetres, viz, foiu* times more by a rise of only 6° C. 



M. Poggiale, the distinguisbed inspector-general of military pharmacy 

 in Paris, presented a report on the 31st of March, 1874, to the Academy 

 of Medicine of Paris, and which report was made to the " Conseil de 

 Salubrite de la Seine."* Poggiale remarked that since 1850 he had had 

 frequent occasion to study for the war department the various processes 

 of meat-preservation, such as salting, drying, the use of sulphurous acid, 

 carbolic acid, and creosote ; coatings of gelatine, sugar, or glycerine ; 

 vacuum, artificial atmospheres, hydrochloric acid and sodium bisulphite, 

 meat-extract, cooking in closed vessels, «&c. None but the method Ap- 

 pert (the now common method of cooking in hermetically-sealed tinned 

 cans) solved the problem. He then goes on to say that M. TelUer be- 

 lieves he has discovered the right process. To obtain this result it suf- 

 fices to maintain at 0° C. or at — 1° 0. the temperature of the chamber 

 in which the meat is placed. To be precise, I shall quote hterally : " Pour 

 produire le froid il n'emploie pas la glace, qui donne de l'humidit6 et qui 

 n'abbaisse pas sufifisamment ni regulierement la temperature de la viande. 

 II prefere un couraut d'air froid on plutot des courants liquides a — 8°. 

 ou — 10°, qui, congelant I'humidite de I'atraosphere, la dessechent et en 

 abaissent la temperature. L'operation consiste done 4 etablir des mag- 

 asins frigorifiques dont la tempera+ure sort de 0° a — 1°." 



He goes on to describe Tellier's methylic ether process of producing 

 artificial cold, and his isolated room with powdered coal between the 

 walls. In this chamber there were four tanks with a wooden pipe for 

 the circulation of cooled calcic chloride solution. He adds : " Pour que 

 Taction frigorifique soit uniforme dans toutes les parties de la charabre, 

 ou y a etabli ^^n ventilateur qui prend I'air a I'une de ses extr^mites, le 

 fait passer dans le conduit contenant les bassins froids et le force a sortir 

 par le c6t6 oppose de cette meme chambre. L'air est done constamment 

 renouvele, bien que ce soit toujours le meme air." 



* Importation en France des Viandes fraiclies couscrvces par lo iioid. ?»>*•»•■ ♦ i- 

 primerie de J. Claye, 1874. 



