BY JAMES TOLSON, ESQ. 85 
The specific heat of ice being ‘48g as compared with 
water at 1°00, when the water contained in meat is frozen, 
the amount of heat to be abstracted from it to bring the 
temperature down any given number of degrees, is less 
than one-half of what it would be if in the liquid state. 
This will operate, so far, favourably, and will, to this extent, 
neutralise the reduced conducting power of ice, so that, 
taking into consideration the comparatively small portion 
of water, it seems probable that there will be little, if any, 
difference in the time required to reduce the temperature of 
any given weight of meat the same number of degrees 
above or below. the freezing point of water. 
If too rapid chilling had the effect of freezing in the 
animal heat, the thinner portions of a carcass, say the fore- 
quarters, flanks, etc., should, according to this argument, 
show the result in a much more marked manner than the 
thick hind-quarters, and consequently be more liable to 
taint. I would put this question to any practical refri- 
gerator :—Which ‘portion of a carcass suffers most from 
this supposed freezing in of the heat? In my experience, 
and I believe in that of every person who has had anything 
to do with this matter, it 1s ¢xvariably the centre of the 
thick part where the taint occurs. In other words, the 
germs which cause decomposition have only been able to 
get fairly to work in those parts which are thick enough to 
feta the heat sufficiently long. If the temperature of 
these parts had also been brought down as quickly as the 
external surfaces, it stands to reason that the germs would 
have been rendered inoperative, and the meat would have 
been in the same condition all through. 
Further, it is also stated that by closing the pores of the 
meat by rapid chilling, the same effect is produced, namely, 
‘the freezing in of the heat.” Now any action that tends 
to bring the particles of a body closer together would, 
apparently, not retard but rather increase the flow of heat 
by conduction. This can be illustrated in many ways ; for 
example, when rock crystal is in the solid state it conducts 
heat freely, but when crushed up into powder, so that the 
particles are more widely separated, the conduction is 
extremely feeble. Also, when a non-conducting substance, 
such as a woollen cloth, is wrapped very tightly round a 
