, 1890-11-15

which the volume before Us is an edited
translation. This lack of textbooks is
doubtless in great measure due to the indus
trial aspects Of heterogeneous having been
comparatively neglected during the time that
Pasteur, Koch, and their numerous disciples
have been busily engaged in the investigation
of questions of still mora absorbing human
interest. But whilst the great majority Of
psychologists have during this past decade
been thus occupied in establishing or endea-
vouring to establish the connection between
numerous diseases and specific organisms,
a few more silent workers have been patient
ly engaged upon the less sensational though
no less arduous task of placing the fernenta-
ton industries on a more scientific basis,
adding in fact to''the structure which ihad been
commenced by Pasteur in his "Etudes" re-
ferred to above. The foremost in this field
OF research has unquestionably been Christian
Hansen of the now world-famed Carlsberg
laboratory near Copenhagen, and to a con-
else and most lucid description of whose
successful labours the present volume is chief
~ devoted. The principal addition which
has been made to our knowledge of the fer
mentation organisms by Hansen has been
the precise Characterization Of a number Of
different traces" of yeast and the determine
ton Of the specific features OF the ternenta-
ton induced by each particular race. Thus
whilst Pasteur attributed the various diseases
in wine and beer to the presence of organisms
other than yeast, Hansen has shown that
certain races of yeast itself are capable Of
bringing about most serious disturbances in
the fermentation process. The lines on
which Hansen has differentiated these seve-
raj races OF yeast, and the methods bye
which their pure culture may be effected are
clearly though briefly described in his work,
with which latest developments OF brewing
technology, both the author and translator
have already identified themselves IN the past.
The influence which has been exerted by
the researches of Pasteur and Hansen on the
practical conduct of the fermentation indus
tries is quite analogous to that which has
resulted IN surgery from the Investigations
Of Lister and Koch, in both cases the princi-
pal Of rigid scientific cleanliness has become
the order of the day. Thus we read, "the
air in the fernentiug-room may contain a
world of germs which, in the fermentation
industries, bring with them the most calami-
tous results, it is, however, possible to obtain
air free from these invisible germs, and it
admits of no doubt that, on the one hand,
the publication of the air il the fermenting-
room by passing it through a saltwater bath,
and, on the other hand, the most rigidly ex-
ecuted order and cleanliness in the cellars of
the Ola Carlsberg brewery, stand i'll direct
relation to the results"
From q practical point Of view, the.chief
merit due to Hansen is that he has not only
shown how pure growths of yeast may be.
obtained in the laboratory, but that he has
further devised methods by which these pure
cultures may actually be employed on the
largest brewery scale. This brewing with
pure yeast has already assumed very large
dimensions on the Continent where a con-
tinually increasing number of breweries re-
ceive IT gular supplies Of pure material. We
have ourselves visited the laboratories of the
Wissenschaftliche Stationen fur Brauerei
und Brennerei at Berlin and fat Munich,
and can testify to the impressiveness of wit
Messing the careful preparation on the manu.
featuring scale of different forms of pure
yeast, each possessed of specific fermenting
properties, which are then transmitted to-
various parts of Europe according to the
special requirements of different breweries.
These experimental brewing-stations, like SO,
many other similar institutions on the Con-
tinent, are directly or Indirectly subsi6 zed
by the State and number amongst their staff
men OF universal reputation in their particu-
lar departments. AS we should anticipate,
this method of scientific brewing with pure,
Yeast has so far taken no root III this country,
although we are glad to know that the trans
lator, along with Mr.. Horace Brown, has for
some time past been engaged upon its ex-