r0 



404 



THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



But since the discovery 



Cagniard-Latour and 



Schwann, in 1836-, of the yeast-plant, which invariably 

 reveals itself during the vinous fermentation; and 



the recognition of the existence of a similar 



smce 



relationship between other fermentations and other 

 oro-anisms, there have always been persons who have 

 inclined to the notion that the associated organism 

 was the actual cause of the fermentation itself. For 

 three or four years after the discovery of the yeast- 

 plant, it was warmly advocated by Cagniard-Latour, 

 Turpin, Mitscherlich, and others, that living organisms 

 alone were capable of initiating the changes known 



only 



as 



fermentations— that they, in fact, were the 



true ferments. According to the notions of Liebig, 

 Gerhardt, and others, fermentations are separated by 



no hard and fast line from chemical changes in general ; 



here, however, a limitation was sought to be established ; 

 a hard and fast line was to be drawn, and fermentations 

 were to be supposed to differ from chemical changes in 

 eneral, by the fact that they could only be initiated 



r 



by the presence and influence of living organisms. 

 Such a limitation seemed of itself to necessitate the 



/ 



supposition that the chemical changes occurring m 

 living things were wholly different from all other che- 



mical changes 



that the changes, in fact, constituting 



fermentations were initiated by occult ' vital ' influ- 



This is the doctrine which M. Pasteur has 



ences. 



revived, and which he has sought to establish upon a 

 firm foundation. He says:— 'Je trouvais que toutes 



^ 



it) 



maliq^^: 



la ferrn 



entatior 

 la Ic 



■Itous 



le fermeni 

 album i no 



■jl'alimentdes. 



« / 



I 



setres organises, 

 it may be 



■itrines as to 

 m» its several 



of fermen 

 ^cbists. Sonii 

 'SKitated by M. 



\ organisms 



(> 



I called 



\ 



a ' vit2 



•iiaintain^. 

 >s are als( 

 '' *^y niay be 



*°1 of fe 



4 



rmenta 



opinio 



~**- that 



"5 th( 



■) 



no 



the 



arou 



1 



se 



I'li, 



the 



\ sav, . 



'*«the^.'"Itis 



vie^v 



'S of T 



u 



