394 THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



transformation of albumen can be brought about in 

 this way that albumen can be transformed so as to be 

 no longer capable of remaining in solution shows that 

 a molecular change has been induced by the influence of 

 the acid working at high temperatures, which neither the 

 acid nor the heat, working alone, are capable of effecting. 

 With the view of throwing further light on this 

 subject, I made the following experiment on March 

 27, 1870: A tolerably strong infusion of white 

 turnip was prepared and subsequently filtered 1 . This 

 had a decidedly acid reaction. It was then divided into 

 two portions, one of which was allowed to remain 

 unaltered, whilst to the other a few drops of liquor 

 potass* were added, so as to give the fluid a very faintly 

 alkaline reaction. This addition produced a slight 

 alteration, even in the naked-eye appearance of the 

 fluid; the faintly whitish opalescence which formerly 

 existed disappeared, and was replaced by an equally faint 

 brownish tinge. About an ounce of each of the two 

 fluids was then placed separately in two small flasks. 

 The fluids were not heated at all, but a piece of paper 

 having been placed loosely in the neck of each, so as to 

 exclude dust, they were exposed side by side to a 

 temperature varying from 75 to 85 F. After twenty- 

 four hours 2 , the unaltered acid infusion merely showed 



1 The turnip at this season of the year was, however, very poor and 

 dry as compared with that which was employed in some of my earlier 

 experiments (Experiments 2-5) during the winter months 



2 During the whole of this time the heat only varied between the 

 limits mentioned. 



