THEORY OF FERMENTATION 321 



The facts that we have just mentioned in reference to 

 the formation of alcohol and carbonic acid in the sub- 

 stance of ripe fruits, under special conditions, and apart 

 from the action of ferment, are already known to science. 

 They were discovered in 1869 by M. Lechartier, formerly 

 a pupil in the Ecole Nor male Supcrieurc, and his coadjutor, 

 M. Bellamy. 4 In 1821, in a very remarkable work, especially 

 when we consider the period when it appeared, Berard 

 demonstrated several important propositions in connection 

 with the maturation of fruits: 



I. All fruits, even those that are still green, and likewise 

 even those that are exposed to the sun, absorb oxygen and 

 set free an almost equal volume of carbonic acid gas. 

 This is a condition of their proper ripening. 



II. Ripe fruits placed in a limited atmosphere, after 

 having absorbed all the oxygen and set free an almost 

 equal volume of carbonic acid, continue to emit that gas 

 in notable quantity, even when no bruise is to be seen " as 

 though by a kind of fermentation," as Berard actually 

 observes and lose their saccharine particles, a circum- 

 stance which causes the fruits to appear more acid, al- 

 though the actual weight of their acid may undergo no 

 augmentation whatever. 



In this beautiful work, and in all subsequent ones of 

 which the ripening of fruits has been the subject, two 

 facts of great theoretical value have escaped the notice 

 of the authors; these are the two facts which Messrs. 

 Lechartier and Bellamy pointed out for the first time, 

 namely, the production of alcohol and the absence of cells 

 of ferments. It is worthy of remark that these two facts, 

 as we have shown above, were actually fore-shadowed in 

 the theory of fermentation that we advocated as far back 

 as 1861, and we are happy to add that Messrs. Lechartier 

 and Bellamy, who at first had prudently drawn no theoreti- 

 cal conclusions from their work, now entirely agree with 

 the theory we have advanced.' Their mode of reasoning 



'Lechartier and Bellamy, Comptes rendus de VAcadtmie det Sciencts, 

 vol. Ixix., pp., 366 and 466, 1869. 



'Those gentlemen express themselves thus: " In a note presented to the 

 Academy in November. 1872, we published certain experiments which showed 

 that carbonic acid and alcohol may be produced in fruits kept in a closed 



(ll) HC XXXVIII 



