THE INFLUENCE OF AGE ON THE VITALITY AND 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE WHEAT BERRY. 



By R. WHYMPER. 



fact that 

 end to all 



there 

 liviriE 



The knowledge that the vitality of a living thing 



decreases with the passage of time is so imprinted 



in the human mind that all 



our life is spent, consciously or 



unconsciously, in prolonging 



the end which must come or 



in preparation against that 



time. 



But the 

 must be an ^..^ w ***. 

 things does not restrain but 

 rather stimulates both our efforts 

 in unravelling the mystery which 

 surrounds the very existence of 

 life and our imagination in 

 regarding a thing which has 

 possessed life even beyond the 

 span of years allotted to man. 



A tortoise of four hundred 

 years is an object of respect, a 

 giant oak of some one hundred 

 and fifty years is venerable, 

 and both by reason of their 



vitality command greater regard than a lifeless rock 

 which has existed more or less 

 of constant appearance and 

 consistency since the world 

 began. 



With the passing of life, 

 decay of the material sets in 

 eventually : sooner if the organic 

 matter is readily decomposable 

 and under suitable conditions : 

 later if the matter is more 

 resistant or under conditions 

 which tend to prevent the action 

 of moisture, air and bacteria 

 from having full play. 



Thus animal remains rapidly 

 decompose when exposed to 

 air under ordinary conditions, 

 though, as in the case of 

 bodies carefully dried or spec- 

 ially treated with antiseptics, 

 they may remain in a state 



Figure 78. 

 Mummy Wheat, longitudinal section 



this 



of preservation for a considerable period of time.* 

 Vegetable matter containing much cellulose is 

 obviously less liable to rapid 

 decay than that containing 

 easily fermentable components 

 such as cooked starch and 

 sugar ; this can be readily seen 

 in such cases as the bread and 

 cake found in the tombs of the 

 ancient Egyptians and which 

 are now composed of little else 

 than the husks of wheat and 

 other cellular tissue. 



It was the custom of the 

 ancient Egyptians to provide 

 their mummied dead with 

 articles of use and personal 

 property as well as with food 

 such as bread, meat, wine, 

 cakes and wheat, as means of 

 refreshment during their trying 

 journey to the world " beyond 

 the sunset " and it is owing to 

 religious custom that we owe many of our 

 most treasured ancient Egyptian 

 relics. It is to be hoped that 

 the food placed with the dead 

 was found sufficiently sustaining 

 to last over the long period of 

 time which elapsed before the 

 wandering soul again found rest 

 in the bod}-, and which, if 

 Herodotus is to be believed, was 

 about three thousand years, or 

 at least that it was never failing 

 in quantity like the " widow's 

 cruse." 



The quality of the food stuff, 

 however, after the same lapse 

 of time, leaves a good deal to 

 be desired, though the wheat 

 with which the present paper is 

 chiefly concerned is remarkable 

 for the few changes that have 

 taken place within the berry. 



* It may be of interest at this point to mention that I have in my possession a raw beef steak placed in " vacuo " in glass in 

 1889 and which to all appearance is in a remarkably good state of preservation. My uncle, the late Mr. Edward Whymper, 

 and Mr. Hicks conducted a number of experiments with "vacua" in that year, chiefly in connection with the standardisation 

 of aneroid barometers. 



The beef steak in question was one of their many experiments and my uncle always displayed great interest in this 

 unique object, which was found at his death in his bedroom at Teddington, where I remember it many years previously. 



The following observation is attached to the glass vessel containing the meat, and, apart from the appearance of a few 

 rose clustered crystals which have separated out, it is the only indication that the piece of steak is not fresh. 



"April 30th, 1904. — This piece of Rump Steak was sealed up in " vacuo" on January 7th, 1889. Originally it occupied 

 about four-fifths of the length of the tube. It has constantly shrunk, but it is only in the last few months that I have 

 noticed the appearance of the fungoidal growth." 



The meat now occupies less than one-tenth of the volume of the tube and the supposed fungoidal growth is in reality a 

 crop of crystals. 



85 



Figure 79. 

 Mummy Wheat, transverse section. 



