THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 393 



by the mere action of heat ; whilst that of the other 

 solution, which has been acidified., has not only had to 

 submit to the deleterious influence of the high tempe- 

 rature, hut also to the increased activity of the acid 

 at this temperature. The result would be that 

 the amount of difference existing between the two 

 solutions before they had been heated, would be found 

 more or less increased after they had been exposed to 

 the high temperature, in diiect proportion to the 

 increase in intensity of the action of the acid produced 

 by such high temperature. What we know concerning 

 the precipitation of albumen in urine is quite in 

 harmony with this view. When albumen is present, 

 and the fluid has an alkaline reaction, mere boiling 

 does not cause its precipitation j though, if the reaction 

 is acid ', the albumen present would be precipitated, 

 when, or even before the temperature of the fluid 

 was raised to the boiling point. Or a similar result 

 might have been induced by the addition of a small 

 quantity of acid to a portion of a neutral or alkaline 

 albuminous urine, which had just been boiled without 

 a precipitation of the albumen having been brought 

 about. Thus the addition or presence of a small 

 quantity of acid, in conjunction with an elevated 

 temperature, is seen to be capable of bringing about 

 results which cannot be produced by the mere elevated 

 tempeiature alone. But the fact that an isomeric 



1 Provided this was not due to the presence of a mere trace of nitric 

 acid. 



