fin 



328 



7'HE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



with a dropl of very turbid fluid, containing hundreds 

 of living Bacteria^ Vlbriones^ and Torul^. A drying appa- 

 ratus was fixed to an air-pump, and the flask containing 

 the inoculated fluid was securely connected with the 

 former by means of a piece of tight india-rubber tubing 2 

 after its neck had been drawn out and narrowed, at 

 about two inches from the extremity. The flask con- 

 taining the inoculated fluid was then allowed to dip 

 into a beaker holding water at 13^'' F^ in which a 

 thermometer was immersed. The temperature of the 

 fluid was maintained at this point for fifteen minutes '^^ 

 by means of a spirit-lamp beneath the beaker. The 

 air was then exhausted from the flask by means of the 

 pump, till the fluid began to boil • ebullition was allowed 

 to continue for a minute or two, so as to expel as much 

 air as possible from the flask, and then, during its con- 

 tinuance, the narrowed neck of the flask was hermeti- 



cally sealed 



means of a spirit-lamp flame and a 



blow-pipe. Other flasks were similarly prepared, except 

 that they were exposed to successively higher degrees 

 of heat — the fluid being boiled ofF, in different cases, 

 at temperatures of 131'', 140'', 149'', 158% and i6fY. 

 All the flasks being similarly inoculated with Hving 



^ The proportion was one drop of the fluid, opaque with organisms, 

 to an ounce of the clear solution. 



^ Into which a piece of glass tube had been slipped to prevent 

 collapse. 



^ Allowing even five minutes for the temperature of the i oz. of fluid 

 to become equal to that of the bath, it would have remained exposed 

 to this amount of heat for about ten minutes. 





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