THEORY OF FERMENTATION 345 



Before we go any further, let us devote some attention to 

 the vibrios of the preceding fermentations. 



On May 27th, 1862, we completely filled a flask capable of 

 holding 2780 litres (about five pints) with the solution of 

 lactate and phosphates.' We refrained from impregnating 

 it with any germs. The liquid became turbid from a devel- 

 opment of bacteria and then underwent butyric fermenta- 

 tion. By June 9th the fermentation had become sufficiently 

 active to enable us to collect in the course of twenty-four 

 hours, over mercury, as in all our experiments, about 100 cc. 

 (about 6 cubic inches) of gas. By June nth, judging from 

 the volume of gas liberated in the course of twenty-four 

 hours, the activity of the fermentation had doubled. We 

 examined a drop of the turbid liquid. Here are the notes 

 accompanying the sketch (FiG. 12) as they stand in our 

 note-book: "A swarm of vibrios, so active in 

 their movements that the eye has great difficulty I < 

 in following them. They may be seen in pairs | 

 throughout the field, apparently making efforts to 

 separate from each other. The connection would J 

 seem to be by some invisible, gelatinous thread, 

 which yields so far to their efforts that they succeed in break- 

 ing away from actual contact, but yet are, for a while, so far 

 restrained that the movements of one have a visible effect 

 on those of the other. By and by, however, we see a com- 

 plete separation effected, and each moves on its separate way 

 with an activity greater than it ever had before." 



One of the best methods that can be employed for the 



teria, or to the special character of the vibrios used in impregnation. 

 Or, again, it might have been due to the action of the air, which, under 

 the conditions of our second experiment, was not absolutely eliminated, 

 since we took no precaution against its introduction at the moment of fill* 

 ing our flask, and this would tend to facilitate the multiplication of anaero- 

 bian vibrios, just as, under similar conditions, would nave been the case 

 if we had been dealing with a fermentation by ordinary yeast. 



'In this case the liquid was composed as follows: A saturated solution 

 of lactate of lime, at a temperature of 25 C. (77 F.), was prepared, con- 

 taining for every 100 cc. (3% fl. ox.) 25.65 grammes (394 grains) of the 

 lactate, CHcOtCaO (new notation, CH, CaO e ). This solution was ren- 

 dered very clear by the addition of i gramme of phosphate of ammonia and 

 subsequent filtration. For a volume of 8 litres (14 pints) of this clear 

 saturated solution we used (i gramme= 15.43 grains): 



Phosphate of ammonia a grammes 



Phosphate of potassium i 



Phosphate of magnesium i 



Sulphate of ammonia 0.5 " 



