CHAPTER XIV 



SHINING FISH, FLESH, AND WOOD 



Introduction 



WHENEVER dead fish, flesh of animals of all kinds (including 

 man) , eggs, sausages, and various dead invertebrates become 

 luminous, it is practically certain that the light results from the 

 growth of luminous bacteria. If the luminous material is wood, 

 leaves, leaf mould, roots, beets, potatoes or fruit, the light is usually 

 due to growth of luminous fungi. The evidence that Aristotle and 

 Pliny knew of these phenomena has already been given, as well as 

 the early descriptions of luminous wood or flesh by Reisch (1496) , 

 Oviedo (1526), Cardan (1557) and Fabricius (1592). 



Francis Bacon and Shining Wood 



It is fitting that the first experiments on luminous organic ma- 

 terial should have been carried out by Francis Bacon. In his Sylva 

 Sylvariim (1627) a section was headed: " Experiment solitary touch- 

 ing wood shining in the dark." As he expressed it: ^ 



The trial sorted thus: 1. The shining is in some pieces more bright, in 

 some more dim; but the most bright of all doth not attain to the light 

 of a glow-worm. 2. The woods that have been tried to shine, are chiefly 

 sallow and willow; also the ash and hazel; it may be it holdeth in others. 

 3. Both roots and bodies do shine, but the roots better. 4. The colour 

 of the shining part, by daylight, is in some pieces white, in some pieces 

 inclining to red; which in the country they call the white and red garret. 

 5. The part that shineth is, for the most part, somewhat soft, and moist 

 to feel to; but some was found to be firm and hard, so as it might be 

 figured into a cross, or into beads. Sec. But you must not look to have 

 an image, or the like, in any thing that is lightsome: for even a face 

 in iron red-hot will not be seen, the light confounding the small dif- 

 ferences, of lightsome and darksome, which show the figure. 6. There 

 was the shining part pared off, till you came to that that did not shine; 

 but within two days the part contiguous began also to shine, being laid 

 abroad in the dew; so as it seemeth the putrefaction spreadeth. 7. There 

 was other dead wood of like kind that was laid abroad, which shined 

 not at first; but after a night's lying abroad began to shine. 8. There 

 was other wood that did first shine; and being laid dry in the house, 



The Works of Lord Bacon 1: 124 (section 352) , by B. Montagu. London, 1838. 



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