748 Transactions of the American Institute. 



would seem to prove that Dr. Bastian's experiments were not conclu- 

 sive. 



The President — Dr. Bastian has been pursuing the line of experi- 

 ments commenced by Crosse many years ago, and continued by Pas- 

 teur and others. He takes the ground that life can be originated in 

 matter ; but in some of his later experiments, in which a higher tem- 

 perature was applied to the solutions, the same results were not 

 obtained. 



IV. A Valuable Alloy. 



Dr. E. Dingier has made an alloy resembling gold by mixing three 

 metals in the following proportions: Copper, 58.86; zinc, 40.32; 

 lead, 1.90. It is said to be malleable and durable, and is evidently 

 prepared with little expense. 



Dr. Van der Weyde — On the face of it, I should not have much 

 confidence in an alloy of brass with lead. 



The President — There is less than two per cent of lead. 



Dr. J. W. Richards — I do not like to hear an alloy judged in that 

 way. We know that sometimes a small proportion of an inferior arti- 

 cle will produce a more perfect result. An alloy sometimes has pro- 

 perties different from the metals of which it is composed. For 

 instance, we can make an alloy fusible at a temperature lower than 

 that at which either of the metals of which it is composed will melt. 



V. Meat Extracts and Beef Tea. 

 Dr. P. Muller has given, in the Moniteur Scientifique, an account 

 of his researches, and his conclusions are as follows : Meat extracts are 

 neither directly nor indirectly food, for they do not contain albume- 

 noid matter, neither do the nitrogenous principles which they contain 

 arrest disassimilation — that is, they do not prevent the waste of the 

 organic matter which composes the body. In small doses these extracts 

 are useful by the stimulant action of the potassa salts, which promote 

 digestion and circulation ; in strong doses — too large at once — these 

 substances may have a very injurious effect. When given to con- 

 valescents from serious diseases, especially if the system is exhausted 

 by prolonged abstinence, the potassa salts present in these extracts in 

 large quantity will act more injuriously, because the system has lost 

 a great deal of chloride of sodium. Instead, then, of promoting 

 digestion, these substances will interfere with it (1) by the direct 

 action of the salts of potash on the blood globules, whereby the 

 absorption of oxygen by these globules is greatly decreased ; (2) by 



