i8 THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



has undergone change in a closed flask without any such 

 hypothetical sowing of living spores or germs. It is 

 more especially important to bear this consideration in 

 mind, seeing that portions of organic matter can always 

 be easily demonstrated amongst such atmospheric dust ; 

 whilst living Bacteria have been shown by Cantoni, 

 Sanderson, and myself to be almost always absent *. 



The views hitherto expressed with reference to the 

 causes of fermentation and putrefaction, and concerning 

 the interpretations which M. Pasteur's experiments are 

 capable of receiving, seem to derive all the additional 

 support that can be needed, from the results of my own 

 experiments with boiled fluids in sealed flasks from 

 which all air had been expelled. 



Some of a given fluid being taken and divided into 

 three parts, each portion is placed in a separate flask, 

 in which it is boiled for a period of ten minutes. One 

 of the flasks (A) is provided with a long and bent neck, 

 so that the air which re-enters is deprived of its germs 

 and organic particles; another (B) has only a short 

 neck, and to this, the access of germs and organic 

 particles is freely permitted till the fluid has become 

 cool, when the neck of the flask is hermetically sealed; 

 whilst the last (C) is sealed during ebullition, after 

 all air has been expelled. Now, if Pasteups theory 

 of fermentation, and the prevalent notions concerning 

 the universal distribution of ' germs' throughout the 



1 On what other supposition can one explain the results of Exps. 

 Ivii-lxv? 



