The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-07-03
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BACTERIA OF PHosPHoResceNce.
How the Meat In Butchers Shop May
Become Luminous.

bHOf EhIR Of fFiOOFF1OhEOOENS
How the Meat In Butchers Shop May
Become Luminous.
That the flesh of certain animals, espe-
cially marine fishes, could often exhibit
the phenomenon Of spontaneous light
was noticed as long ago as the days of
Aristotle, but it is only within the pres
ent generation that the true cause has
been made known In 1875 q DR.. Beale
Of Yeavil, in Staffordshire, published in
The Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society a curious instance of the
kind and mentioned as a possible ex-
PLANTATION that the stars were exceeding
ly bright that night and the weather
warm and gentle. A woman of that
town had bought neck of veal, which
seemed perfectly good in every respect.
On the following evening about o'clock
the neck Of veal "shined so brightly
that it did put the woman into great
affrightment. She reused her husband,
and he, seeing whence the light pro-
ceeded, endeavored to extinguish it by
beating the veal and eventually plung-
ing it below water, but in vain. At last
he found he could extinguish the light
by wiping the meat with a cloth. The
next day the joint was cooked, and GER
tain neighbors who had seen it giving
light were invited to partake of it. All
esteemed it as good as any they had eat
en-. Many similar cases Of meat becom-
ing phosphorescent are ON record. In
1492 it was frequent occurrence at
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last century it became so prevalent in
New Orleans that several butchers were
almost ruined, since their customers con-
sidered such meat unfit for food, and
much of it was thrown into the river
Coming to the present day, Nuesch de-
scribes how the whole Of the meat in a
butchers shop became luminous in one
night.
The first recorded experiments to de-
termine the cause Of such cases were
made by DR.. Hulme in 1900, and from
his results he was led to conclude: l..
That putrefaction was not the cause, for
as decay advanced the light gradually
decreased moreover, in the case of
phosphorescent meat there was no often
sive smell. 2. That spontaneous light
was constitutional principle Of some
bodies, incorporated with their whole
substance just as any other principle,
and that it was probably the first prin.
ciple that escaped after the death Of
marine fishes. This plausible solution
has since been displaced by the discov.
cry that bacteria were invariably pres
ent il phosphorescent sea water and or
phosphorescent meat, and that directly
or indirectly the light was due to theil
agency.
With regard to the conditions under
which these various micro organisms
can produce light it has been found thai
temperature has good deal of influence
According to Ludwig, piece of mea
remained luminous as low as IA degrees
below zero. Heated gently in tube ovel
awater bath, it was still phosphorescen
at 80 degrees, but at 40 degrees ceased
to emit light. Bacterium phosphores
Gems does best between Is and 25 de
grees, but Tilanus and Forster proved
that it could live below Zero Wher
kept at 35 degrees for a few minutes, it
luminosity disappeared, but on cooling
returned.
If, however, it was kept at that tenn
perature for 10 minutes, its power O
producing light was permanently lost
As to the manner in which the bacterii
produce the light, there is still mucl
research needed. AS Hulme found il
1S00-and his observation as since beer
repeatedly confrmed-putrefaction doe
not assist phosphorsscence. The hgh
producing bacteria are unable to dC
their work in substance ON which tn,
putrefactive organisms are growing
I and as soon as decay is fairly advanced
the light altogether ceases.
The presence Of oxygen appears to bt
an essential, for the colonies will only
give light on the surface Of the culture
medium, where they can have free con
tact with the atmospheric oxygen. Thi
gas, however, is not essential for the
life of the bacteria. They will grow il
an atmosphere Of hydrogen or carboniC
acid gas, but under such conditions viii
not produce light. Apparently it is no
necessary for the colonies to be grown
in the light of the sun, for cultivation
, made in complete darkness have beer
, found to emit light as readily as thosC
grown in daylight When it has beer
decided whether the bacteria are il
themselves phosphorescent, or whether
, they are SO only by virtue of their proG
: ucts, there will still remain the furthel
, problem of the nature Of the phosphor
> escence itself knowledge.