OCCURRENCE OF ARCHEBIOSIS 157 



Torulae and other Fungus spores, together with small Mycelia, 

 though the supernatant fluid was still perfectly clear. And, as I have 

 shown (p. 153), the same kind of change is apt to occur in a super- 

 heated hay infusion. When either of these fluids is subsequently 

 exposed to the air, a tuft or two of Mould may after a time appear 

 upon its surface ; but as a rule, in neither case do the fluids become 

 turbid with Bacteria — at all events within a week or ten days. 



Just after I had made these experiments, No. 438 of the 

 " Proceedings of the Royal Society" was received in which I found a 

 communication by Macfadyen, Morris and Rowland " On Expressed 

 Yeast-cell Plasma." They tested the effect of the filtration of this 

 juice through Berkefeld and Chamberland filters, and they found 

 that such "filtration decreases to a considerable extent, but without 

 entirely destroying both the auto-fermentation and the action of 

 the juice on sugar ; " they found also that the specific gravity of the 

 filtrate was most notably lowered.' Again when speaking of 

 ' kieselguhr,' a very fine diatomaceous earth, which in a compressed 

 state forms the basis of the Berkefeld filter, they say (p. 253) : " that 

 kieselguhr has the power of arresting the passage of certain albu- 

 minous bodies can easily be demonstrated. Thus we found that 

 egg globulins are almost entirely retained in a kieselguhr sponge, 

 and even albumen and serum proteids are retained to a certain 

 extent." 



Thus, removal from an organic solution of some of the larger 

 colloid molecules by filtration, seems to have an effect upon the 

 fluid not very diff^erent from that which is produced by the probable 

 breaking up of such molecules during a process of superheating. 

 The fluid in either case is notably degraded, and what I have 

 termed its ' germinality ' is proportionately lowered. I am, 

 therefore, no longer surprised at the comparative stability of an 

 unheated hay infusion which has been passed through a porcelain 

 filter. 



From this brief indication of the present state of the question 

 in regard to experimental trials, the reader will have gathered 

 something as to the nature of the difficulties besetting the attempt 

 actually to prove the present occurrence of Archebiosis — and how 

 almost hopeless it seems to convince persons, already firmly 



' Their observations were principally made with a Berkefeld filter, which 

 is known to pass molecules that would be stopped by a Chamberland filter 

 such as I employed. 



