■June 15, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
1013 
Re double that usually ascribed to it; from tbeir physical 
properties it is not improbable that the dimethylnornar- 
•cotine, methylnornarcotine, and nornarcotine of Matthi- 
■essen may be derivatives not of ordinary narcotine, but 
of its polymerides. 
The different modifications of the cinchona alkaloids 
are not impossibly polymerides of one another. 
The preceding Table exhibits the principal differences 
between codeia and the polymerides above described. 
PUTREFACTION. 
BY DR. F. CRACE-CALVERT. 
An investigation into the origin and causes of putre¬ 
faction, and the modifications to which the phenomenon 
is subject under varying circumstances has for some time 
■engaged the attention of Dr. Crace-Calvert, and in a 
series of papers recently read before the Royal Society 
are recorded some of the results attained, which present 
many points of great interest. 
That a solution of albumen from a new laid egg, in 
pure distilled water, sealed from contact with air, pre¬ 
sents no signs of protoplasmic life, after being kept some 
time while the same solution when exposed to the air for 
a short time, contained globular bodies having inde¬ 
pendent motion, had previously been stated by the 
author, but he has now pushed this inquiry further, and 
found that the rate of development of vibrio-life is pro¬ 
portional to the extent of surface exposed. The rela¬ 
tions in which atmospheres of different gases stand to 
the development of vibrios have been tested by placing 
equal quantities of a solution of albumen in Manchester 
water into five glass bulbs, leaving one exposed to the air 
for twenty-four hours, passing either oxygen, hydrogen, 
nitrogen or carbonic acid over the others, and afterwards 
hermetically sealing them. The bulb containing oxygen 
speedily became turbid, then that containing air; the 
■other three remained clear. On opening them, in the 
tubes containing ah and oxygen, vibrio-life was found to 
be plentiful; in those containing nitrogen, carbonic acid 
and hydrogen the quantity was small,—in the hydrogen 
least,—apparently proving that oxygen is an essential 
•element in the production of putrefactive vibrios. The 
animalcules themselves when kept in closed tubes seem 
to produce sufficient carbonic acid and other gases to 
exclude oxygen and arrest their ow r n development, but 
their activity returns upon fresh contact with air. 
The following is, according to Dr. Calvert, the order 
in which the development of this low order of life takes 
place. A few r hours after the impregnation of albumi¬ 
nous fluid, “ monads,’’y-j ^j ^-jjof an inch in diameter, ap¬ 
pear to form in masses. These are gradually changed 
< into “ ordinary vibrios,” at first attached to the mass, 
although having independent motion, but ultimately 
separating and each vibrio, in size about i n -> en " 
joying a distinct existence. These gradually grow into 
“long vibrios,” ^ in. in length. The “ long- 
vibrios” are in their turn changed by a process of 
subdivision into what appear to be nothing more 
than cells, which have considerable swimming powers. 
When this process is completed (in about twelve 
•or eighteen months), it is found that a deposit 
has been formed appearing under the microscope to con¬ 
sist of shoals of particles of matter having no life, and 
the solution has become clear, possesses considerable re¬ 
fractive power, and is no longer coagulable by heat. 
No putrid odour is emitted by the solution until after 
the above deposit is formed, and the odour is in direct 
.ratio to the number of vibrios present. 
Another series of experiments w r as undertaken by 
Dr. Calvert to ascertain the relative power of various 
substances in preventing putrefaction and the develop¬ 
ment of protoplasmic and fungus life. Small test tubes 
were thoroughly cleansed, and 26 grams of solution of 
albumen placed in each, together wuth -026 gram of the 
.substance the action of which it w r as washed to ascertain. 
These tubes were kept in a room at a temperature of 
from 12-5° C. to 15’5°C., and every day a drop from 
each tube w r as examined under a microscope. The fol¬ 
io w r ing is a summary of the results :— 
Days required for 
development of 
1. Standard Solutions. Fungi. Vibrios. 
Albumen kept in laboratory for comparison 18 12 
Albumen exposed outside laboratory . . . None 5 
2. Acids. 
Sulphurous acid . 21 11 
Sulphuric acid... 9 9 
Nitric acid . 10 10 
Arsenious acid . 18 22 
Acetic acid. 9 30 
Prussic acid.None 9 
3. Alkalies. 
Caustic soda. 18 21 
Caustic potash. 16 26 
Caustic ammonia . 20 24 
Caustic lime.None 13 
4. Chlorine Compounds. 
Solution of chlorine. 22 7 
Chloride of sodium . 19 14 
Chloride of calcium. 18 7 
Chloride of aluminium . 21 10 
Chloride of zinc . 53 None 
Bichloride of mercury. 81 None 
Chloride of lime . 16 9 
Chlorate of potash . 19 17 
5. Sulphur Compounds. 
Sulphate of lime . 19 9 
Protosulphate of iron. 15 7 
Bisulphite of lime . 18 11 
Hyposulphite of soda. IS 11 
6. Phosphates. 
Phosphate of soda. 17 13 
Phosphate of lime. 22 7 
7. 
Permanganate of potash. 22 9 
8. Tar Series. 
Carbolic acid.None None 
Cresylic acid .None 25 
9. Sulphocarbolates. 
Sulphocarbolate of potash. 17 18 
Sulphocarbolate of soda . 19 18 
Sulphocarbolate of zinc . 17 None 
L0. 
Sulphate of quinine .None None 
Picric acid . 19 17 
Pepper .None 8 
Turpentine . 42 14 
11. 
Charcoal. 21 9 
In a similar series of experiments where gelatine was 
substituted for albumen, the standard solution contained 
far more abundant life during the 47 days that observa¬ 
tions were made, and a distinctly putrid smell w r as emitted 
after 26 days. With bleaching-powder introduced, life 
did not appear until the twentieth day, and at no time w T as 
it abundant; no putrid odour being detected, and only a 
mouldy one on the thirtieth day. With chlorine solu¬ 
tion, vibrio-life was observed only after forty days, and 
no putrid or mouldy smell at any time. With proto¬ 
sulphate of iron, neither protoplasmic nor fungoid-life 
appeared. With arsenious acid, animal life appeared 
after two days, but at no time w r ere there any fungi. 
With the other substances the results were much the 
same as in the albumen series. 
Finally a series of experiments was undertaken to as¬ 
certain the effect of the same substances in solution of 
albumen already swmrming with microscopic life. It 
was found that cresylic acid immediately and completely 
