September 2,1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
1S5 
amincd on the 1st of December, twenty-four days after 
heating. 
Sugar Solution not heated. —There were about 30 ani¬ 
malcules under each field of the microscope, principally 
small black vibrios , 2 or 3 microzymes swimming slowly 
about, 3 or 4 ordinary swimming vibrios, and. a few 
bacteria. 
Heated for half an hour at 212° F. —A great portion of 
the life had disappeared, no animalcules were swimming; 
still this temperature had not completely destroyed life. 
4 or 5 small black vibrios were observed moving ener¬ 
getically to and fro ; 2 or 3 ordinary vibrios were also 
observed moving energetically in the same position of 
the field, that is, without swimming about. 
Heated for half an hour at 300° F. —The sugar was 
slightly charred, but the life was not entirely destroyed, 
as 1 or 2 ordinary vibrios and 1 or 2 small black vibrios 
were observed in motion under the field of the micro¬ 
scope. 
Heeded for half an hour at 400° F. —The sugar was al¬ 
most entirely decomposed ; no trace of life was observed. 
Heated for half an hour at 500° F. —No life observed. 
Remarks. —The black vibrios hero referred to are far 
more opaque than the other varieties of vibrios, and are 
the most important of all, as I have found them to resist 
not only very high temperatures, but all chemical solu¬ 
tions. I shall, in my paper on putrefaction and the ac¬ 
tion of antiseptics, describe the various vibrios and give 
drawings of them. 
Hay Infusion.—- An infusion of hay was made by ma¬ 
cerating it in common water for one hour, then filtering 
the liquor, and leaving it exposed to the atmosphere all 
night, when it was sealed in the small tubes, twelve of 
which were used for each experiment. The infusion was 
made on the 4th of November, sealed in tubes on the 
5 th, and heated on the 7th. 
The results were examined on the 1st of December, 
1870, twenty-four days after being heated. 
Hay infusion not heated. —Eungus matter was observed 
growing on the surface of the fluids in two of the tubes. 
On subjecting the contents of some of the tubes to ex¬ 
amination, from 20 to 25 animalcules were observed 
under each field of the microscope. This kind of life 
resembled small dots moving energetically to and fro; 1 
or 2 ordinary vibrios were also present. 
Heeded for half an hour ed 212° F. —No fungus matter 
was noticed on the surface in any of the tubes. A few 
small black vibrios present in the original solution were 
also present in this. 
Heeded for half an hour at 300° F. —No fungus matter 
present, but some of the small black vibrios were still 
present, although in less numbers. 
Heated for half an hour at 400° F. —No fungus matter 
observed. The fluid was filled with irregular masses of 
coagulated matter, and life had disappeared. 
Heated for half an hour ed 500° F. —No life present. 
Gelatine Solution. —A solution of gelatine, prepared of 
such strength that it remained liquid on cooling, was ex¬ 
posed for twenty-four hours to the atmosphere. It was 
then introduced into the small tubes, and the tubes 
sealed. The solution was made on the 4tli of November, 
the tubes sealed on the 5th, and subjected to the different 
temperatures on the 7th. 
The fluids were examined on the 1st of December, 
1870, twenty-four days after being heated. 
Gelatine Solution not Heated. —There were seven or 
eight animalcules under each field, five or six of which 
were quite different to anything observed in the other 
fluids. They had long thin bodies, swimming with a 
peristaltic motion. One or two ordinary swimming- 
vibrios were also present; but the small black vibrios 
were absent. 
Gelatine Solution Heated for half an hour at 100 3 F — 
Life seemed to have only slightly decreased, and none of 
the animalcules were swimming. The peculiar animal¬ 
cule mentioned in the previous paragraph appeared to j 
retain still its peristaltic motion, but not sufficient power 
to move across the field; a few ordinary vibrios being 
also observed moving to and fio. 
Heated for half an hour ed 212° F. —A very decided 
diminution in the quantity of life present was noticeable. 
Heated for half an hour ed 300° F. —No life present. 
Heated for half an hour at 400° F —No life present. 
Fat riel Meat Fluid. —Water was placed in an open 
vessel, and a piece of meat suspended in it until it be¬ 
came putrid and contaminated with myriads of animal¬ 
cules. This fluid was placed in the usual tubes, which 
were scaled on the 7tli of November, and heated on the 
same day. 
The contents of the tubes were subjected to examina¬ 
tion on the 1st of December, or twenty-four days after 
having been heated. 
Hot Heeded. —A large quantity of life was present, 
namely, microzyma and several distinct species of vibrios, 
among which were a number of the small black ones fre¬ 
quently mentioned. 
Heeded for half an hour at 100° F. —This temperature 
had but slightly affected the life present, the animalcules 
being as numerous as in the liquid not heated, and 
moving as usual. However, one species of very long 
vibrios appeared to be considerably affected, as they were 
much more languid in their movements. 
Heated for half an hour ed 212 ° F. —This liquor differed 
from all the others in being turbid and coagulated. Life 
was still present; and although heat had deprived the 
animalcules of the power of locomotion, still they retained 
a sufficient amount of vital force to place it beyond 
a doubt that life was not destroyed. 
Heeded for half an hour ed 300° F. —The liquid was 
quite clear, the albumen (which is coagulated at 200°) 
appearing to be redissolved. A large quantity of the 
life in the fluid was destroyed, but some vibrios still re¬ 
mained, the small black ones being the most numerous. 
Heated for half an hour at 400° F. —All life had 
disappeared. 
Heated for half an hour at 500° F. —All life had 
disappeared. 
The results recorded above show that protoplasmic 
life is but slightly affected by a temperature of 212° 
F., and that, even at a temperature of 300° F., it is 
not entirely destroyed, excepting in the case of gela¬ 
tine. In all the other fluids a temperature of 400° F. 
is necessary to completely destroy the life. These ex¬ 
periments, therefore, clearly show that the life found 
by previous experimenters in fluids which have been sub¬ 
mitted to heat was not duo to heterogenesis, but to life 
which had remained in the fluids, as I have seen no 
experiment reported where the temperature to which the 
fluids were exposed exceeded 300° F.* 
I am the more justified in making this 'statement, as I 
have repeatedly examined the contents of tubes which 
had been submitted to a temperature of 400° F., both 
immediately after cooling and at all periods up to thirty 
days, and was unable in any instance to detect the 
slightest trace of life. 
This important result corroborates those recorded in 
my previous paper, and proves that the spontaneous- 
generation theory is not yet by any means established. 
It occurred to me that it might be interesting _ to 
examine the influence on pure albumen of the putrid- 
meat fluids that had been heated, and note whether they 
still possessed the property of propagating life. A solu¬ 
tion was prepared by mixing the albumen of a new-laid 
egg with pure distilled water free from life (prepared as 
described in another paper). Equal volumes of this 
solution were placed in six small test-tubes, which had 
* It is with pleasure that I find these experiments to con¬ 
firm the suggestion of Dr. Beale, in his work entitled Db- 
ease-Germs, their supposed Origin,’ p. 50 (which I read a few 
weeks ago), that Si living forms might live though exposed, 
under certain conditions, to a temperature of 350 J I. 
