1872.] 



Evolution of Life from Lifeless Matter. 



147 



a tube like a very long-legged siphon, at the lower end of which was a piece 

 of caoutchouc tube, with one end stopped by a little piece of glass rod. 

 This was nothing more than a bent pipette ; by compressing the india-rubber 

 when the pointed tip of the shorter limb was dipped into the beaker-glass, 

 and then releasing it, the liquid entered for the space of an inch or so, 

 and could then be easily transferred to a glass slip. It was thought as well 

 to blow hydrogen through the tube before use ; and, of course, like all the 

 other apparatus, it was carefully washed and heated. 



Preparation of solutions. 

 The water used was very pure distilled water taken from a carboy, the 

 contents of which had been tested with a beam of light, and found to reflect 

 chiefly the blue rays. A previous attempt to obtain pure water by distil- 

 lation with sulphuric acid and potassium permanganate, in glass vessels 

 and an atmosphere of hydrogen, did not yield better specimens. It is im- 

 possible to prepare solutions of salts which do not show abundance of 

 floating matter to a ray of light, even when such pure water is made use of. 

 Solutions filtered through the finest Swedish paper are crowded with 

 fibres, which may readily be seen by filling a globular flask with the solu- 

 tion, the eye and an argand burner being on the same horizontal line, and 

 about a foot apart. The flask is interposed, and gradually lowered till the 

 particles are seen brilliantly illuminated on a dark ground. The phosphate 

 of soda used was recrystallized immediately before being dissolved, and the 

 tartrate of ammonia was prepared from recrystallized tartaric acid and the 

 strongest aqueous ammonia. When the solutions were mixed, the alkaline 

 reaction was neutralized by tartaric acid, or rendered faintly acid. Of course 

 it is of the first importance that the tubes, after being sealed, should be 

 heated immediately to the temperature necessary to destroy life, and this 

 was done in every case as soon as possible. 



Accidental occurrence of a lifeless organism in a phosphate-of- sodium 

 and ammonic-tartrate solution. 



On examining the contents of tube A 2, several drops of liquid were found 

 to contain nothing whatever. They had filtered through the gelatinous 

 silica deposited in the capillary point, so that a fresh portion of the glass 

 had to be broken off and a little of the liquid allowed to run into a bottle. 

 After this a little debris was occasionally noticed, and in one drop of liquid 

 an animalcule was found, measuring 0*003 inch in length. I failed to 

 recognize it, probably from its being injured by the action of a liquid at 

 so high a temperature as 150° C. Its presence in the solution is more 

 easily accounted for than if it had been found in any of those prepared 

 subsequently ; for in this case the water was not tested by means of a beam 

 of light, neither was the glass tube (although well washed with boiling 

 water) cleansed with such very great care. There was much less de'bris of 

 the nature of cotton-fibres and other indefinite matter found in the tubes 



