OOOUREENCE OF ARCHEBIOSIS 155 



(3) Urine passed into a flambe vessel which had been fully 

 or two-thirds neutralised with liquor potassse, and subsequently 

 exposed to temperatures ranging from 45° to 50° C. would gene- 

 rally become turbid in seventeen to twenty-four hours, and on 

 examination be found to swarm with Bacilli only. 



(4) The addition of lesser amounts of liquor potassae, that is, 

 sufficient for half neutralisation, or a little less or more, would 

 generally lead to a mixture of Micrococci, Staphylococci, and Bacilli. 



I found I could thus obtain, almost at will, urine containing 

 Micrococci only, Bacilli only, or mixtures of these two organisms. 



In all the experiments where liquor potassae was used, I had 

 previously heated it in tubes to 105° to I20°C. for one hour, as I 

 had formerly done to meet objections made by Pasteur in regard to 

 other experiments. 



I have little doubt that blood or milk taken from an animal 

 with all the precautions possible, and subjected to such tempera- 

 tures as I have employed would speedily show signs of change. 

 I have, however, made no experiments with either of these fluids. 

 Were I to do so, and obtain positive results I should doubtless 

 be told that I had not guarded against this or that source of error 

 — ^which would, in fact, be difficult enough in the case of the 

 latter fluid, with which no one as yet has succeeded in obtaining 

 uniform results. 



(c) The changes induced in some organic fluids by their passage 

 through Chamberland and Berkefeld filters. 



Later still, when Berkefeld and Chamberland filters came into 

 use, it was said that the filtration through porcelain, with the 

 latter filter especially, was so effectual that it would stop the 

 passage of all Bacterial germs, and that organic infusions so 

 treated, even when they had undergone no degradation by heat, 

 would remain unaltered and show no signs of fermentation. 



If true, this seemed to me at the time the strongest evidence that 

 had yet been brought forward against the present occurrence of 

 Archebiosis, so I resolved to make some experiments myself with 

 hay infusions prepared in the ordinary way. This was done, 

 and I found it quite true that a hay infusion passed through a 

 Chamberland filter would subsequently remain for long periods 

 quite clear, even when kept at a temperature of about 93° F. 

 (34° C), though I observed that a very slight deposit after a few 

 weeks was apt to accumulate at the bottom of the vessel. 



