230 THE EVOLUTION OF LIFE 
still remain incredulous, and would apparently rather 
believe in the existence of some possible expert- 
mental errors than admit as true what they have 
long been taught to believe as impossible. 
In the endeavour to throw further light upon this 
question of the origin of life I began again, after a 
prolonged interval, early in the year 1906, to make 
new flask experiments. It seemed desirable to make 
them approximate more closely to the condition of 
things that must have existed during the dawn of 
life upon our planet, by eliminating, as far as possible, 
all organic matter from the fluids with which experi- 
ments were to be instituted. The use of saline 
solutions of different kinds, made with freshly distilled 
water and with pure chemicals, naturally suggested 
itself, therefore, as a means of complying with this 
desideratum. 
To get rid, as far as possible,! of matter which 
had been fashioned in pre-existing living things 
would undoubtedly be a great advantage, and 
likely, in the event of positive results occurring, 
to prove additionally convincing to all unprejudiced 
persons. The chemicals employed would certainly 
be comparatively, if not absolutely, free from germs 
of Bacteria. They would certainly be as unlikely to 
harbour spore-bearing Bacilli as the freshly distilled 
water itself. 
I say “freshly distilled ” water, because it is well 
1 Chemists know how difficult it is to obtain solutions, however care- 
fully prepared, which shall be absolutely free from minute shreds of 
cotton wool or other fibres. 
+ "ty 
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