The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-26
SPONTANEOUS GENERATION.
1YNDaLL'S LI7EsT ExpERIMENTS ON
THE SUBJEtT
put-emc,ion Impo.sibie without Germs-Ab-
soiutciy Pure Air II Preventive OF Fer'nen.
tstiou- What was Done ON the Aips How
vegetable aud Mineral Infusions DiGer.


dec. TO- the London Institution. He said that
within ten minutes walk of Q little cottage
@sc a G s frd Inv ih cum rc ID. SHOWS Ms Of th
upper mountains. During the early weeks Of
summer no trace Of III, is To be disccrnod IN
this water. but invariably toward tho end u
July or beginning Of August swnrms ~ tailed
organisms are seen enjoying the sums warmth
along the shallow margins Of the lake. and
water at the approach Of danger. Tho origin
OF this periodic crowd Of living things is nv no
means obvious. For years he has never no,lccd
in the lake either an adult frog or the smallest
itnngmen, q, ir"g fpnyn 10 'ha, were me- No.,
conclusion Of Mathoc Il natural onc-namely,
that tndrolcs are generated in lake mud by the
viyiiying action Of the sun.
Tho checks which experience alone can FUR
nish being absent. the spontaneous cooperation
Cf being was assumed for ages NJ a fact. For
nearly twenty centuries after Aristotle men
found no difficulty in believing IN cases Of spon-
thnnous generation which would now br re-
ghried ~ inonerous hS the most fanhtichl sup
porters ol the doctrine. The discovery OF the
microscope revealing world of life formed of
individuals SO mnntc-so @, 50. az 1t were. to
the ultimate particles Of inntter-ns to suggest
yivcd the dying dotrinc. DR.; Tyndnl traced
ia support by Button and Necdhnm HAS. and
spalanznni ,l77aS. S,iuiai ,isSGi sclw9nn.
nclmhol, Schroeder. and Won busch. In 1899
influenced opinion In favor Of spontaneous
Plstcur published his classical paper in 1852.
IL hrs applied the knowlcdgo won from his
inquiries 10 m rrcscNnuon 81 wine and beer.
10 IN" manufacture 81 vinegar. and y the stay
iug of III, lngu" VIII h q rcatcncd destruction
70 the sir husbnndfy ~ France. Prot Lister
furn -hcl the only prindpir which would have
coniu ted ihr antiscrtie system in surgery to
Our enowied{e has been greatly extended ny
Prof. Coin. of Brnslnu. NJ putrcfa'ton.' lac
H. Iaoria M N l,tovnd Gn now S" ones rre
vented from entering l. Bacteria Or" the
penran" Of som" of thcm. which are now
Thought 20 be- NJ the root Of disease a. well as of
pnircfa'tion. According TO this view. conta-
gious fever may BE- defined H. conflict between
tho person smitten hy II and n specific organ
ism wi,rh m1t.rlies at MS expense. nppropri-
Tissues. or poisoning him 10y the decompositions
II Causes
DR.. Tyndan referred in detail. to his expert
m"ntS malr this summer on tho lol-Alp above
the Khnn' Valley. th' SPOT. 'on0 ieet above the
sca. h"in- 49,. icd for The sake of the purity Of
thy air and lis freedom from organisms.
Sixty finsks would be- nned in the manner de-
s'iilc. IN III" lecture with IN inius on OF beef.
mutton. lump. and cucumber stor Lied by
transported 90 the Alps. II il the month Of July
ana iths w,,ali + Is favorable To- rnlr,iac,on AZ
liquids rs clear a. filtered drinking water. In
six nnsks however. the infusion il found
muddy. On eNamination it is discovered that
every on u thesi has had lis, fragile end
broken vi - the transit from London. Air has
entered laskr AMI muiiness is the result
Examined with a micr, scope of insufficient
powcr nothing Is seen in tie muddy liquid /:
but regarded with magniying power 81 a
thousand diuW'tsrs what an astonishing APP
prAiHn"" does 10 present
Lceuw nhoek estimated the population of a
ssngl" drop of stnsnant water AT 5Oo0pOuOo:
probably ~" population of drop of our turbd
Infusion would hr this ten times multiplied.
III" II III oi ~" mi"ro-rop" -'rOwdr Il with or
gth'-hS. p "a" webbing slowly. others
sh"?'tnS r'pily n'r ,ss ia" microscopic field.
that they ar" Vegetables. HIS this muiiiudln-
Gus are 10 Nn spontaneously .ncfaied in these
siA nns *. or ! tnr PROGENY 81 LIVING germinal
arr II IN in'uSlon- have q sclf-grneratiNe
bower, l"w are the sterilty and consequent
.lnarns-- ~ N" Iity-tour uninJured TASKS TO
It has boon affirmed that the vacuum above
IA" infusion j. favorable 20 the proiu tion Of
organisms. and their al sen 20 from tins Of pre-.
s"ryed meat fruit. and vegetables IL accounted
for 10y III" hypothesis that fermentation has he
gun in sur tins that gases have been gem
Grated, the pressure Of which has stilcd the in
cIpient lie aud stopped it, further develop,
mont but IN we'll preserved TINS Dr. TyndAll
has invariably found. not an outrush ~ gas. hut
an thrush Of water II they were perforated un;
dor water. On the other hand. he has exposed
the organisms to pressure Of gils.~ without kill
INK them, The filty-our peIlucid TASKS declare
AKA MT tie hetrrogcnist.
The TASKS are next exposed TO warm Alpine
sun Wv day and 81 night suspended m q warm
broken. but at the end Of month the flfy re-
manning TASKS are found rs clear Us AZ the COM
m'ng"ment There II no sIlgn - puireiacti9n
or Of Iii" in any OF them. These fasks are iii,
Nlcd into two groups OF tw"nty-three and
twchty-s ven respectively. The question now
II wh'incr the admission OF air can hberA'e
any g"n"rative energy IN tho infusions. The
u -ks arc carried 10 a. hay loft. and The ends
snippec N from the group Il twrnty-ihree.,
higher. from which tn" mountain falls away
preririlouslv t. the northeast for about 90,
feet. een,lc vino blows toward il from Ia,
northeast. ucruss the crnsts and snow field. Oi
IN, Berncse Ohcrand Tho SPOT j.. therefore
ha,hrd IN mir which must have been for q good
wniir out # contact with either animal or yege-
tnhir iii". Standing carefully g. Tho lceward 81
f..Fs al rfiI4I tl..t.
cloth.- ~ bodies mus be blown 10 the he" fa sl
thr - .@'ors first sing" the pliers in spirit
lamp III strOy all attached germs or organisms
ti.sw way tn" - fnshs are charged with clean
VIVA ihnlr u'cks open over a kitchen stove in q
temp gaturn varying from 90 t. 80 Fnhrrn
heh and ~ iltr" DAYS Il ont Qi the 90 flask,
hy organ ms. Alter three weeks expo-ur'
tlnrr,i0rly the same conditions. not one OF III
- iinSk "prned IA free air had given way. n,
germ from the hit hon ar had assembled the
ma ROW nHrk- the 4 SKIS being shifted To- pro
du - Tins result. They are still in the Alp. u,
clear and ~ free from III. ~ they were whcI
sent Of from London.
l. not thc conclusion imperative that it wa,
not tn air, hut something in IN" air viii IA pro
durd me ."ts Observed In the TASKS place.
~ me igyot What i ih,s something TIM
they huye been tn origin oi the ol served No
II 50. are We not bound by all anie'el,nt cx,r'
rirnco 10 regard thrse fruitful particles Us TIA
germs oi the lifc olsorVedi
II would place lr.fore his friend and coin
months in il slmled chamber exposed Ia ohti
caily pure air. The one II u mineral sulut ION
containing ~ proper proportion all the sub
thnrr- which enter into IN" composition %
bacteria; the other IN AN infusion of turniI
Bolh itIuid, are ua cl,Itr ~ Distilled water nm,
there IL NO tiEe' 81 life ia either nf them.
mutton chop. over viii h a litil" wdtor has been
pour 81 t. Keep III juices from drying ~. ha
IAN Tor three DAYS upon Il plato IN u warn
room. il smells 0tIons Vcly. Placing drop @
the irlli mutton Iulco under "a mcros 'opr II Il
found 0wHrming with the hartcrin which liz
~ Hutrria"ion. and without which no pu
trea't,pu can occur. With a spork of In
swaimlng liquid the clear mineral solution
ana u. clear turnip Infusion ar" rHch inncu
lated. Ia twcnty-iour hours the Transporter
liquids hay "cour turbid throughout am
Instead al j. Ing barren, Aa at first they ar
teeming with life.
TIA" experiment Is now varied. Into the pur
mineral solution and the purr turnip infusion
II dropped II small pinch 81 laboratory dust
The cflet Is tardcr than when the spenk q
yutril liluid WIZ employed I'm three dHys
however, after It's infection with the dust tn
turnil infusion H. muddy. and swarmiug "a Boz
fore with hA tcria. But what about the nlnrrp
solution, which IN III" first exp 'rimcnl behave
IN manner uud stinguiAhahlc from the turni
luicef At the end nl three daYs ut thr end e.
ihr'o weeks, u is innocent Of bacterial life
While both liquids are able to feed the bacteria
hnd 60 enable thom a. multiply after they hay
seen once fully dovolopcd only one oi m
llquli7 IN able to dNNtl0u tic L, riuluul dust ,
ID IA al.N -