196 
NATURE 
[Fuly 7, 1870 
Before the flask was opened the solution itself was clear and 
without the least trace of a pellicle on its surface, though for the 
last three or four days a very fine deposit was seen on certain 
parts of the bottom and sides of the flask. 
When examined microscopically, a very few monads and bac- 
teria were found in the first few drops of the fluid, which had 
been poured out before the whole was shaken, The remainder 
was then poured into a conical glass, and after having been allowed 
to stand fora time, the supernatant fluid was removed, and the last 
few drops containing the sediment were examined. In this were 
seen many bacterojd particles (2) and monads of different sizes, 
exhibiting the most active movements, as well as some irregular- 
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Fic. 9.—Organisms met with in Experiment 9. 
shaped particles, also active. Many of the mere monad-like 
particles had the appearance of being very small Zoru/a glo- 
bules (4), and one cell of this kind was seen +35,” in diameter, 
and containing a nuclear particle in its interior. Many groups 
made up of three ovoid particles (c) were also seen, and also a 
dumb-bell-like body, all exhibiting slow movements. There were, 
moreover, motionless protoplasmic-looking masses—some cuboidal 
or more or less spherical and hollow, and others altogether irre- 
gular in shape, though appearing like masses of formless proto- 
plasm ; also peculiar branched fibres with knob-like swellings at 
the termination of the branchlets, and lastly a small mass made 
up of a spirally-twisted fibre, similar to that (represented in 
Fig. 13) which was found more abundantly in subsequent ex- 
periments* where tartrate of ammonia and phosphate of soda 
were employed. 
Experiment 10.—A flask containing a solutiont of acetate of 
ammonia and phosphate of soda, 7 vacuo, which had been her- 
metically sealed forty-two days previously, after the fluid had been 
boiled for 20 minutes, was opened on March 10, 1870. 
The solution during this time had shown no signs of deposit, 
turbidity, or pellicle, and on microscopical examination of the 
fluid, no organisms of any kind were discovered. 
Experiment 11.—A flask containing a solutiont of oxalate of 
ammonia and phosphate of soda, iz vacuo, which had been 
hermetically sealed sixty-one days previously, after the fluid had 
been boiled for 20 minutes, was opened on March 27, 1870. 
Its reaction was then found to be slightly acid. 
The solution itselfcontinued clear throughout, and presented no 
scum on its surface ; but, after a time, a very small amount of de- 
posit made its appearance at the bottom of the flask, and latterly 
this had appeared as a small, irregular, and opaque whitish aggre- 
gation, with branch-like ramifications. It was very friable and 
easily broke up into a white granular material. Almost immedi- 
ately after the neck of the flask had been broken, small acicular 
crystals appeared in abundance on and in the solution, varying 
from about } to 1 line in length.§ 
@ 
Fic. to.—Fungus-spores found in Solution of Oxalate ot Ammonia, 
On microscopical examinztion, monads and altogether irregu- 
larly-shaped particles, showing tolerably active movements, were 
abundant. <A few hyaline spherical vesicles were seen having 
no solid contents, and some of them were flattened at one pole. 
Three distinct fungus-spores were seen, and also another other- 
* This fibre growth was twisted around a paper-fibre, but there is little 
doubt that it had simply grown round this as a mere foreign body. Every 
part of the paper fibre showed the most distinct colour reactions with the 
polariscope, though the spirally-twisted fibre did not show a trace of such re- 
action. 
+t Reaction neutral. t Reaction neutral. 
_ § Two days before this flask was opened, it was removed for a few hours 
into another room, where the temperature was lower. ‘The agitation of the 
fluid, and perhaps in part the lower temperature, soon resulted in the forma- 
tion throughout the fluid of a number of large acicular crystals from {to rinch 
in length. These disappeared in the evening as soon as the temperature of the 
solution was again raised to about 80° F, The greatly superior size of the 
crystals produced ix vacuo is worthy of note, 
wise similar body in which there were small granules rather than 
a single nucleus. ‘There was also a nucleated organism slightly 
larger, one of whose extremities was rectangular, whilst the other 
was rounded. In addition, there was a considerable quantity 
of white granular material which had resulted from the crumbling 
of large, though opaque white, masses of the same substance ; 
and also some semi-crystalline, opaque rhomboid plates. 
Experiment 12.—A flask containing a solution® of tartrate of 
ammonia and phosphate of soda, 7 vacuo, which had been her- 
metically sealed eleven days previously, after the fluid had been 
boiled for 20 minutes, was opened on January 21, 1870. The 
reaction was then found to be still slightly acid. 
No turbidity of the fluid was observed, and no scum formed 
on its surface, though a very slight deposit gradually collected 
at the sides and bottom of the vessel, and amongst this there 
was seen, during the last six or seven days, a small white, floccu- 
lent mass, which gradually increased in size. 
Fic, rr.—Spiral and Confervoid-looking Filaments, with Fungus-spores 
and Crystals, from a Tartrate of Ammonia Solution. 
On microscopical examination of the white mass, this was 
found to be made up for the most part of a densely interlaced 
and spirally-twisted fibre, almost precisely similar to what was 
alluded to in Experiment 9 and to what is represented in Fig. 13, 
This was colourless, highly refractive, quite homogeneous, and 
apparently solid. In one place there was seen emerging from 
amongst the spiral fibres an elongated chamber (4) resembling 
a spore case, and containing many separate protoplasmic-looking 
masses. At one border of this spirally-twisted fibre-organism, 
there were a number of other filaments (¢) about z5}g,” in 
diameter, and containing irregular masses of protoplasm in their 
interior. These were colourless confervoid-looking filaments. 
A few moving monad-like particles were seen, and in the 
sediment there were many motionless aggregations of such par- 
ticles imbedded in an almost invisible and scanty jelly-like 
matrix. In these masses rounded or ovoid fungus-spores 
(mostly with large nuclei in their interior, in various stages of 
formation) existed pretty abundantly (¢). Some of the spores 
showed a slight neck-like projection and flattening at one ex- 
tremity, as though they were about to germinate. In addition 
another much larger spore (c) was found. Some of the rounded 
crystals which were met with in this solution are also repre- 
sented (/). 
Experiment 13.—A flask containing a solutiont of tartrate of 
ammonia and phosphate of soda 7 vacuo, which had been her- 
metically sealed twenty days previously, after the fluid had been 
boiled for 20 minutes, was opened on February 15, 1870. The 
reaction of the fluid was then decidedly acid. 
The fluid itself showed no signs of turbidity, and there was 
no trace of scum on its surface, Small whitish flocculent shreds 
had, however, been seen at the bottom of the flask for the last 
twelve or fourteen days, during which time they seemed very 
slowly to increase in size. Some smaller sedimentary particles 
were also seen at the bottom. 
On microscopical examination some of the white shreds were 
found to be composed of comparatively large masses of the 
small algoid filaments which were met with in the last experi- 
ment; whilst others were made up of an aggregation of fungoid 
spores with an abundant mycelium which had ‘been developed 
from them, The spores were precisely similar to those which 
* Reaction slightly acid. t Reaction slightly acid. 
