On the Action of Heat on Protoplasmic Life. 131 



Remarks. — The black vibrios here referred to are far more opaque 

 than the other varieties of vibrios, and are the most important of all, 

 as I have found them to resist not onlj' very high temperatures, but 

 all chemical solutions. I shall, in my paper on putrefaction and the 

 action of antiseptics, describe the various vibrios and give drawings 

 of them. 



Hay Infusion. — An infusion of hay was made by macerating 

 it in common water for one hour, then filtering the liquor, and 

 leaving it exposed to the atmosphere all night, when it was sealed 

 in the small tubes, twelve of which were used for each experiment. 

 The infusion was made on the 4th of November, sealed in tubes on 

 the 5th, and heated on the 7th. 



The results were examined on the 1st of December, 1870, twenty- 

 four days after being heated. 



Hay infusion 

 not heated. 



Fungous matter 

 was observed 

 growing on the 

 surface of the flu- 

 ids in two of the 

 tubes. On sub- 

 jecting the con- 

 tents of some of 

 the tubes to ex- 

 amination, from 

 20 to 25 animal- 

 cules were obser- 

 ved under each 

 field of the mi- 

 croscope. This 

 kind of life re- 

 sembled small 

 dots moving en- 

 ergetically to 

 and fro ; 1 or 2 

 ordinary vibrios 

 were also pre- 

 sent. 



Heated for half 

 an hour at 

 212° Fahr. 



No fungous mat- 

 ter was noticed 

 on the surface in 

 any of the tubes. 

 A few small black 

 vibrios present 

 in the original so- 

 lution were also 

 present in this. 



Heated for half 

 an hour at 

 300° Fahr. 



No fungous mat- 

 ter present, but 

 some of the sm all 

 black vibrios 

 were still pre- 

 sent, although in 

 less numbers. 



Heated for half 

 an hour at 

 400° Fahr. 



No fungous mat- 

 ter observed. The 

 fluid was filled 

 with irregular 

 masses of coa- 

 gulated matter, 

 and life had dis- 



Heated for half 

 an hour at 

 500° Fahr. 



No life present. 



Gelatine Solution. — Asolution of gelatine, prepared of such strength 

 that it remained liquid on cooling, was exposed for twenty-four hours 

 to the atmosphere. It was then introduced into the small tubes, and 

 the tubes sealed. The solution was made on the 4th of November, 

 the tubes sealed on the 5th, and subjected to the different tempera- 

 tures on the 7th. 



The fluids were examined on the 1st of December, 1870, twenty-four 

 days after being heated. 



