lUANSAUTIONS Ol' SECTION U. 



681 



JUS wliicli 

 r weiirlit*. 

 at lis than 

 sohitidii.-*. 

 lit ii small 



' SdllltinliH 



il iiru then 

 1 ol" wattT 

 nip»'ratiin! 

 ted iinlos 

 )!ilier wiTo 

 nut (.'ivu 



TS to Vt'l'V 



1 oil, Wm^ 

 )rt.s ; i/nrn 

 ilin oil ami 

 lid iVot'zing 

 btained by 

 ho pavailiu 

 pavatHii as 

 ro ohtniiieil 

 d heat, anil 

 y inipiii;r..l 

 icriiiatfrial 

 10 series ol' 



'araffin ( »il 



rs I 



^3° F. ! 



I 



2 cul). ft. I 

 2 cul). ft. i 

 8 candles , 



2 grains 



04 Iks. 



lbs. 



10 lbs. 



■id 



ight power 

 consumed as 



oils under tlie most ftivourahlt; condition.^, ami then* is a lo.st* of 20 per cent, or oiie- 

 lil'th (if tho lif.'lit poNver. 



'i'lic priictit'iil working'' of iniiieraloil apparatus (iii the liirji'e .sialic has rc-^iillfil in 

 IIk) obtiuiiment. of poriuaneiit ga.s with an illuiiiinatiii^ power of 7-> i>er cent, of tint 

 total lii-'ht of the oil as oil. The best workiii)^ apimnitiis [ have mot with ia 

 I'iiilscli H, where .such result.s can be obtained dav by day. 



The perniaiieiit character of the jjras obtained from mineral oils ha.sheen proved by 

 tlie testinjr of the ^'iis after .storage in pis-holdcrs in tin- ovdiiiai-y way ; and I'Veii 

 iiiuler the exceptionally f-rvere test of snbniitlinu' tin' ^'as to tlits pressiin' of 10 

 afiiiospheres, as in l'iiitsch'.s sloraj^i' cylinders, tiie los.s iji caiidlo jiower iil'ifr a 

 laoiilh'.s cumpre-ssion was not more than three candles or about jier cent, of tlio 

 liirht. 



The oil fra.s ha.s now Ijeeii successfully enijiloyed in the li^dilinir of dwellini;- 

 liouses and railway cirriairt's, for liohihoii.se si'r\ice in the illumiiiilion of Inioys, 

 a'lil in the workiiii,' of jras eii^niies for soiindin;,' l'o;,'-lioriis, as at Jiaiifrne.^s in 

 the Isle (d' .Man; and at the ]ire.sciit time laii:*' appuratiis are Lfin<r titled iijt on 

 .Vil.sa CJraif? in tlie Firth of ('ly<le for tho production of the oil j^as to be used alike 

 for tiio illumination of the liij-ht hoii.se lanterns and for the workim,'- of tlie ^^as 

 engines connected with the fo^'-hurn.s. 



0. On. the D'KimoniVifi'rons Jtrpositu nf S'udJi Africa idkI tli'' Ash of tho 

 Diamund.^ By Professor Sir il. K. Ko^iCOE, I'h.D., LL.D., F.R.iS. 



JU. On aEedctcnnination of the Att^uiic Weiijht nf C 



frttuii. 



Bij IL RouiN.soN. 



TUKSDAY, SKVTKMnKIl 2. 



The following: Papers were read : — 



Chemical Changes in their relations to Mtcro-orgaiiisms, 

 E. FiiA.NKi.Axi), B.C.L., M.D., FJi'.S. 



B>j Profes.sor 



The author explained the two kinds of chemical action — niz., that in wiiioh 

 .•■ubstanci^s bioiifrht into contact mutually underiro chemical chanfre ; and, secondly, 

 that in which chemical chanjje is ellected in one substance by contact with another, 

 which itself .sutlers apparently no alteration. To tlie latter are usually a.ssijriied the 

 theiiiical changes forminjjr the subject of this jiajier. 



The discussion was conlined to the study of organisms belonjiin;.' to the animal 

 kinj.'dom, and, in order to narrow the dis:'iis.sion, the author proposed the fd- 

 lowing definition? : — 



1. A plant is an organism performing synthetical functions, or one in which 

 these functions are greatly predominant. 



2. An animal is an organism performing analytical functions, or one in which 

 these functions greatly predominate. 



From a physical point of view these detinitions may be thus formulated : — 



1. A plant is an organism which transforms actual into potential energy. 



2. An animal is one which changes potential into actual energy. 



All micro-organi.sms appear to belong to the second class. In that portion of 

 the animal world with which we are best acquainted luidafion is the essential con- 

 dition of life; it is the kind of action by which the animal changes potential into 

 actuu.1 energy, and this actual energy is manifested in the phenomena which we 

 term life. There are, however, many other chemical transformations in wdiich 

 •potential becomes actual energy, and which, therefore, can support life. Beside.s 

 suck chaoges as are known to be thus utilised by micro-organisms there are many 



' Printed in full in Proc. Lit. awl Phil. Soc. Manchester, vol. xxiii. pp. 5-10, 1884. 



. 1 



