268 



Mr. H. Onslow. Note on the Nature of 



Sample I. — Bought (1913) from Allen and Hanbury, reserved for Dr. Bastian 

 since 1910, and recommended by him (" Origin of Life," p. 29, 

 2nd Ed., 1912). 



Sample II. — 0-01 per cent, colloidal solution, specially prepared by Griibler, 



Leipsic, in 1910, and used immediately. 

 Sample III. — Sp. gr. 75°. Bought (1914) from Allen and Hanbury and recom- 

 mended by Dr. Bastian.* 

 In a private letter Dr. Bastian recommended three drops of this last sample 

 for the " colourless solution " and five drops for the " yellow solution." In a 

 later article, however,f he said that it was not satisfactory in the quantities 

 previously mentioned, but successful in larger quantities and with other 

 reagents. The amount of Samples I and III used in my experiments was 

 from 2 to 5 drops of a solution consisting of equal volumes of sodium silicate 

 and distilled water, and of Sample II from 10 to 12 drops. 



The results obtained with all the 10 sets of tubes prepared may be 

 illustrated by the three following examples : — 











Period 







Series. 



No. of 

 tubes. 



Contents. 



Sterilisation. 



exposed 

 to the 

 light, in 

 months. 



No. of 

 tubes. 



Remarks. 



A 



10 



" Yellow 

 solution," 

 Sample I, 

 3 drops. 



10 minutes at 

 130° C. 



44 

 30 



3 

 7 



A few dead bacilli were 

 found in some tubes, 

 and in others there were 

 numerous oval bodies 

 about the size and appear- 

 ance of torulse. 



B' 



10 



" Yellow 

 solution," 

 Sample I, 

 2 drops. 



10 minutes at 

 110° C. 



2J 

 35 

 Lost 



2 

 4 

 4 



In one tube alone living 

 bacilli were found. Thej 

 caused a thick pellicle on 

 broth, grew in chains, 

 and resembled -B. subtilis. 

 Easily subcultivated on 

 all media. 



H 



10 



" Colourless 

 solution," 



Sample II, 

 12 drops. 



20 minutes at 

 100° C. on 

 3 successive 

 days. 



18i 



26 



33^ 



1 

 1 



8 



A few dead bacilli were 

 found with square ends. 

 It was impossible to sub- 

 cultivate them on any of 

 the three media used. 



It will be noticed that a square-ended bacillus, somewhat like B. subtilis in 

 appearance, was on several occasions found in the tubes, but in every tube 

 but one (from Series B') they were dead and incapable of being sub-cultivated. 

 I am well acquainted with the morphology of this organism and with some 



* 'Nature,' January 22, 1914. 



t Ihid., December 24, 1914. 



