THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 331 



with living Bacteria, Vihrlones^ and Torul*. These flasks 

 and their contents were then submitted to the influence 

 of the following conditions: One of them was heated for 

 a few minutes in a beaker containing water at H3F, 

 and then by means of the air-pump a partial vacuum 

 was procured, till the fluid began to boil. After the 

 remainder of the air had been expelled by the ebullition 

 of the fluid, the neck of the flask was hermetically 

 sealed, and tlie flask itself was subsequently immersed 

 in the water of the beaker, which was kept for four 

 hours at a temperature between 113 and nS^F 1 . 

 The two other flasks similarly prepared were kept at 

 a temperature of 118^-127 F for four hours. In two 

 days, the fluid in the first flask became slightly turbid, 

 whilst in two days more the turbidity was most marked. 

 The fluids in the two other flasks, which had been 

 exposed to the temperature of ii8J-i27jF for four 

 hours, remained quite clear and unaltered during the 

 twelve days in which they were kept in the warm bath 

 under observation. These experiments seem to show, 

 therefore, that the prolongation of the period of ex- 

 posure from ten minutes to four hours suffices to lower 

 the vital resistance to heat of Bacteria and ToruU by 



Such experiments would seem to be most important 

 and crucial in their nature. They may be considered 

 to settle the question as to the vital resistance of these 



1 During nearly the whole of the time the temperature was kept at 

 H3F. It only rose to the higher temperature for about ten minutes. 



