256 
ORGANIC  MATTER  OF  HUMAN  BREATH,  ETC. 
even  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours.  Observations  upon  the  or- 
ganic particles  of  respifed  air  had  at  different  times  been  made 
by  the  author. 
1.  In  1857,  glass  plates  covered  with  glycerin  had  been  ex- 
posed in  different  places  and  examined  microscopically.  Amongst 
others,  in  the  dome  of  the  Borough  Gaol,  to  which  all  the  respired 
air  in  the  building  is  conducted,  organized  particles  from  the 
lungs  and  various  fibres  were  found  in  this  air. 
During  a  crowded  meeting  at  the  Free  Trade  Hall  air  from 
one  of  the  boxes  was  drawn  for  two  hours  through  distilled  water, 
and  the  sediment  examined  after  thirty-six  hours.  The  follow- 
ing objects  were  noted : — Fibres,  separate  cellules,  nucleated 
cells  surrounded  by  granular  matter,  numerous  epithelial  scales 
from  the  lungs  and  skin. 
3.  The  dust  from  the  top  of  one  of  the  pillars  was  also  ex- 
amined, and  in  addition  to  other  objects,  the  same  epithelial 
scales  were  detected. 
4.  Several  of  the  specimens  of  fluid  from  the  lungs  were  also 
searched  with  the  microscope.  In  all  of  them  epithelium  in  dif- 
ferent stages  of  deterioration  was  abundantly  present,  but  very 
few  spores  were  found  in  any  fresh  specimen.  On  the  other 
hand,  after  the  fluid  had  been  kept  for  a  few  hours,  myriads  of 
vibriones  and  many  spores  were  found. 
In  a  case  of  diphtheria,  confervoid  filaments  were  noticed,  and 
in  two  other  cases,  one  of  measles  and  one  of  whooping  cough, 
abundant  specimens  of  a  small-celled  torula  were  found,  and 
these  were  seen  to  increase  in  numbers  for  two  days,  after  which 
they  ceased  to  develope. 
These  differences  in  the  nature  of  the  bodies  met  with  proba- 
bly show  some  difference  in  the  nature  of  the  fluid  given  off ;  but 
it  was  pointed  out  that  they  afford  no  proof  as  yet  of  the  germ 
theory  of  disease.  They  simply  show  the  readiness  with  which 
aqueous  vapor  of  the  breath  suppor  t  fermentation,  and  the  dan- 
gers of  bad  ventilation,  especially  in  hospitals. 
Dr.  E.  Lund  and  Dr.  H.  Browne  stated  that  they  had  also 
made  experiments,  the  results  of  which  were,  in  general,  con- 
firmatory of  those  obtained  by  Dr.  Ransome. — Chem.  News^ 
Lond.,  March  18,  1870. 
