39 



line of changes to occur. Such was until recently 

 looked upon as furnishing a representation enabling 

 us to understand the rationale of the passage of a 

 substance into a state of putrefaction. Instead, 

 however, of regarding the elements of organic 

 compounds as simply splitting asunder as a 

 result of the removal of the influence of life to 

 form others generated by new affinities starting 

 into existence after death, we are brought by the 

 evidence now before us to look upon putrefaction 

 as the issue of the influence exerted by the living 

 organisms, to which our attention is being given. 

 However much, viewed superficially, the process 

 may appear to arise from spontaneous disintegra- 

 tion, no such disintegration takes place unless 

 there is the necessary agency present to excite it, 

 and this agency consists of living organisms com- 

 parable in the effect they produce to the living 

 cells of yeast which have the power of exciting 

 the transformation of sugar by what is styled 

 fermentation. It is only then in the presence of 

 the organisms in question that putrefactive decom- 

 position occurs. Exclude them in any way that 



