Page 52 - Ethel D. Hume - Bešam ili Paster: Izgubljeno poglavlje u istoriji biologije

BfiCHAMP'S BEACON EXPERIMENT 49
The results clearly demonstrated the varying effects of
different salts upon the medium, which Bechamp himself
has pointed out in the second chapter of his work Les
Microzymas. As also shown by the earlier experiment, zinc
chloride and calcium chloride prevented the alteration of
cane-sugar, and a very small quantity of creosote, or of
mercuric chloride, had the same preventive influence.
This was not the case with arsenious acid when present in
very small proportion, or with certain other salts, which
did not hamper the appearing of moulds and the altera-
tion of the cane-sugar. Indeed, some of the salts seemed to
stimulate the advent of moulds; while, on the contrary,
creosote, which has only since the date of these experi-
ments been distinguished from carbolic acid, was particu-
larly effective in the prevention ofmoulds and of alteration
of the sugar.
With his characteristic precision, Professor Bechamp de-
termined to investigate thoroughly the role ofcreosote, and
with this aim in view started on the 27th March, 1857,
another series of experiments, which he also continued up
to the 5th December of the same year.
1
His own account of his procedure is as follows i He
"prepared several sugared solutions according to the
technique of the anti-heterogenists, that is to say, the
water used was boiled and cooled in such a manner that
air could enter only after passing through tubes containing
sulphuric acid. This water dissolved the sugar very
rapidly, and several jars were completely filled with the
carefully filtered solution, so as to leave no air in them.
Another part of the solution, having creosote added to it,
was poured into jars in contact with a considerable
quantity of common air, without any other care than that
of cleanliness. One of the jars contained also some
arsenious acid. One jar of the creosoted solution and one
without cresote were set apart not to be opened through-
out the whole course of the experiment."

1
Les Microzymas, par A. Bhhamp, p. 53.
D