Further observations on the temperature at which bacteria, vibriones, and their supposed germs are killed when immersed in fluids or exposed to heat in a moist state : and on the causes of putrefaction and fermentation / by H. Charlton Bastian, M.A.

  • Bastian, H. Charlton.
Date:
[1873], [©1873]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Further observations on the temperature at which bacteria, vibriones, and their supposed germs are killed when immersed in fluids or exposed to heat in a moist state : and on the causes of putrefaction and fermentation / by H. Charlton Bastian, M.A. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    Whilst a heat of 140° F. (60° C.) appears to be destructive to Bacteria, Vibriones, and their supposed germs in a neutral saline solution, a heat of 149° or of 158° F. is often necessary to prevent the occurrence of putre- faction in the inoculated fluids when specimens of organic infusions are employed. AVhat is the reason of this difference ? Is it owing to the fact that li\ing organisms are enabled to withstand the destructive in- fluence of heat better in such fluids than when immersed in neutral saline solutions ? At first sight it might seem that this was the conclusion to be drawn. We must not, however, rest satisfied with mere superficial considerations. The problem is an interesting one; yet it should be clearly understood that its solution, whatever it may be, cannot in the least affect the vali- dity of the conclusion arrived at in my last paper, viz. that living matter is certainly capable of arising de novo. We were enabled to arrive at the conclusion above mentioned regarding Archebiosis by starting with the undoubted fact that a heat of 158° F. reduces to a state of potential death all the Bacteria, Vibriones, and their supposed germs which an or- ganic infusion may contain. The inquiry upon which I now propose to enter, therefore, touching the degree of heat beloiv this point which may sufllce to Idll such organisms and their supposed germs in an organic infusion, and touching the cause of the delayed putrefaction apt to take place in inoculated organic infusions which have been heated to tempe- ratures above 140° and below 158° F., is one lying altogether outside the chain of fact and inference by which the occurrence of Archebiosis is proved. It seems to me that the solution of the problems which form the sub- ject of the present communication can only be safely attempted by keeping constantly before our minds two main considerations :— Thus, in the experiments whose results it is now our object to en- deavour to explain, the fluids have been inoculated with a compoun c;onsisting partly {a) of living units, and partly (b) of a drop of a solu- tion of organic matter in a state of molecular change; so that in many cases where putrefaction has been initiated after the inoculating com- pound has been heated to certain temperatures, there is the possibility that this process of putrefaction may have been induced (in spite of the death of the organisms and their germs) owing to the influence of 6, the dissolved organic matter of the inoculating compound; that is to say