THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 437 



ductive from 1 14-5 ; a decoction of pumpkin 1 produces 

 them at 110 and not at 112; the albumen of an egg 

 is productive at 112, and at 113 commences to show 

 signs of disintegration ; and the decoction of hay gives, 

 moreover. Vibrios at no , but cannot when subjected 

 to a higher temperature 2 .' These experiments were 

 all comparable with one another, from the fact that 

 they were performed during the months of July and 

 August, when the atmospheric temperature remained 

 pretty constantly at from 25-27C (77-8oF) 3 . 



Thinking it very desirable to ascertain the highest 

 point to which some solutions might be heated with- 

 out being rendered unproductive ; and also wishing 



1 Heated to any extent short of noC, this fluid is said by Prof- 

 Cantoni to produce Vibrios with astonishing rapidity. 



2 Solutions of Liebig's soup were also found, on another occasion, to 

 be unproductive at and above this point, though they were productive 

 after exposure to temperatures a little lower, providing the daily atmo- 

 spheric temperature remained high. 



3 Prof. Cantoni naturally enough asks, why it should be, if the 

 Vibriones are in all cases produced from germs, that these germs 

 should be killed at such different temperatures in different fluids; and 

 why the germs (which nobody has seen) should require such a very 

 much higher temperature to kill them, than suffices to destroy their 

 parents ? The latter he, also, believes to be destroyed by a temperature 

 of about 60 C. Then, again, there is the fact that the amount of 

 heat which is necessary in order to stop the productivity of the fluid 

 (other things being equal), becomes lower and lower as the temperature 

 of the air diminishes so that the yolk of egg, for instance, which, with 

 a temperature of 25C, will produce after being heated even to H7C, 

 will not produce after being heated only to 110 if the temperature of 

 the air continues at 20, whilst when it is still further reduced to 15 

 (59 F) the fluid ceases to be productive after it has been exposed to 

 105 or even 100. 



