DESSICATION IN PLANTS. 159 



It is difficult at first to comprehend how many seeds, 

 spores, and even Mosses, can withstand, in the dried 

 condition, temperatures far above those necessary to 

 coagulate coagulable albumen. Lewith* has, however, 

 shown that the less water albumen contains, the higher is 

 its coagulating point. Thus egg albumen containing 18% 

 of water coagulates at 80 9 C. to 90°C., with 6% at 145°C. 

 and with no water at 160°C. to 170°C. Hence assuming 

 that dried plasma, though of much greater complexity, 

 approaches to a certain extent to the nature of coagulable 

 proteid, we can understand the greatly increased resistant 

 power to heat which dessication gives, and yet can under- 

 stand why the most resistant plasma has its vitality 

 destroyed at temperatures far below that necessary to 

 coagulate perfectly water free egg albumen. 



*Ein Beitrag zur. Theorie der Disinfektion. Archiv, f. exper. Pathol., 

 1890, XXVI.,p. 341. 



