
by an ebullition of from five to ten minutes, of the 
faculty of undergoing those chemical changes which 
are characterised by the presence of swarms of 
Bacteria, and that the development of these 
organisms can proceed with the greatest activity in 
hermetically-sealed glass vessels, from which almost 
the whole of the air has been expelled by boiling. 
J. Burpon SANDERSON > 
University College, Jazuary 1. 
Shortly after the publication of this report by 
Professor Burdon Sanderson there came another in- 
dependent confirmation of my experiments in a letter 
published in Mature, March 20, 1873, from D. 
Huizinga, the Professor of Physiology in the Uni- 
versity of Groningen, from which some extracts may 
now be made. His communication was an important 
one, because it answered also some of the objections 
which had in the interval been raised by others, 
and pointed out the special necessity of care, if 
such experiments were to be attended by successful 
results. 
Professor Huizinga wrote as follows: “ Having 
occupied myself for some time past with an experi- 
mental study of abiogenesis, I have followed with 
much interest the controversies on this question in 
recent numbers of Vad¢ure, and beg leave therefore 
to state to the readers of this journal the results of 
my experiments. A turnip decoction of the specific 
gravity 1‘o11-1'016, filtered and boiled with cheese 
(0°25-0'5 germ. to 50 cc.); filtered again and 
