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Mr. F. Crace-Calvert on Protoplasmic Life . [May 11, 



The gas should be passed through for about fifteen minutes. The clip 

 E is then closed, and the distillation carried on. "When the operation is 

 complete, the gas must be again passed through the apparatus, and the 

 connexion with the tube I broken by closing the clip K. The water is 

 drawn off through the siphon F. The long tube acts as a safety-tube, and 

 is made so long that the absorption is noticed in ample time to close the 

 clip before any air can enter through that tube. 



The water has to be redistilled three or four times before it is obtained 

 free from germs, and must be kept in the apparatus in which it is distilled 

 until wanted, to prevent any contact with air. 



Some water which had been distilled on the 20th of November, 18/0, 

 being still free from life on the 7th of December, was introduced by the 

 siphon H into twelve small tubes, and left exposed to the atmosphere for 

 fifteen hours, when the tubes were closed. Every eight days some of the 

 tubes were opened, and their contents examined. On the fifteenth, there- 

 fore, the first examination was made, when no life was observed; on the 

 twenty- third two or three other tubes were examined, and again no life was 

 detected; whilst in the series opened on the 2nd of January, 1871 (that 

 is to say, twenty-four days from the time the tubes were closed), two or 

 three black vibrios were found in each field . 



Being impressed with the idea that this slow and limited development 

 of protoplasmic life might be attributed to the small amount of life existing 

 in the atmosphere at this period of the year*, a second series of experiments 

 was commenced on the 4th of January. The distilled water in the flask 

 being still free from life, a certain quantity of it was put into twelve small 

 tubes, which were placed near putrid meat at a temperature of 21° to 26° C. 

 for two hours, and then sealed. On the 10th of the same month the con- 

 tents of some of the tubes were examined, when two or three small black 

 vibrios were observed under each field. This result shows that the fluid 

 having been placed near a source of protoplasmic life, germs had introduced 

 themselves in two hours in sufficient quantity for life to become visible in 

 six days instead of twenty-four. Other tubes of this series were opened on 

 the 17th of January, when a slight increase of life was noticed; but no 

 further development appeared to take place after this date, as some exa- 

 mined on the 10th of March did not contain more life than those of the 

 1 7th of January. 



This very limited amount of life suggested the idea that it might be due 

 to the employment of perfectly pure water, and that the vibrios did not 

 increase from want of the elements necessary for sustaining their life. I 

 therefore commenced a third series of experiments. Before proceeding to 

 describe this series, I would call attention to the fact that the water in the 



* During the intense cold of December and January last I found it took an exposure 

 to the atmosphere of two days at a temperature of 12° C. before life appeared in solu- 

 tion of white of egg in the pure distilled water, whilst as the weather got warmer the 

 time required became less. 



