THE ANALYST. 9 ON A FERMENT PRODUCED BY THE MORBID GROWTH OF THE BIOPLASM OF THE YOLK OF EGG. By WILLUM THOMSON, F.R.S.E. I HAVE read with interest the two cases of mysterious poisoning-the one described by Mr. A. H. Allen, the other by Dr. Muter-in the November issue of your valuable journal, and each recalls to my mind a peculiar ferment fitudied by the late Dr. F. Grace-Calvert and myself some years ago.It wad a cell which propagated itself in the same manner as yeast, and when it developed in large quantity in any fluid it emitted such a fulsome, putrid odour, that we termed it the We traced the origin of this cell in egg albumen solutions to the yolk of the egg, and it appeared to us that it was a morbid growth of the bioplasts of the yolk, which, had they followed their normal course of development, would have gone to form the bone, flesh, tissues, etc., of the chicken.Our attentions was first drawn to this ferment by observing that when eggs were left under certain conditions, some putzified, and when the contents of the rotten eggs were microscopically examined, none of the generally recognised putrifactive fermente, such as bacteria, nor any fungoid growths, could be observed, but the contents were full of cells of very different sizes, but of the Eame conformation.When this decomposition had gone far we found the yolk entirely disintegrated and mixed up completely with the white; but when the growth had not gone so far we found that the yolk had swelled out more or less and the white had become milky from the presence of ‘‘ putrid cells ” in it.The yolk generally swelled t o about tvice its original size before bursting. On micromopical examination of one of these swelled plks, in comparison with a healthy putrid cell.”10 THE ANALYST. one, we saw that the minute granules, which resembled minute dots, and which constituted t.he healthy Iolk, had each swellcd out in the abnormal yolk and appeared there as distinct cells of different sizes.As an example of the conditions under which this growth will take place I may mention a series of experiments in which a number of eggs were well coated with shellac and left for about eighteen months. After that time the coating was still perfect, and some, on being broken, were found to be perfectly fresh and good, but on striking the shell of one with the point of my knife it burst from the pressure of gas inside, scattering the contents ir, all directions.The contents had evidently lost no moisture by evaporation, and the yolk mas entirely disintegrated and thoroughly mixed up with the white, and the whole emitted a disgusting putrid smell. The microscope revealed the presence of our old friend the ‘( putrid cell ” as being the sole cause of this decomposition.These cells are, we believe, not entirely confined to the yolk of egg and egg albumen, because we have observed cells of precisely the same appearance in other fluids, Buch, for instance, as in water in which putrid meat had been washed. I now come to the question of the physiological effects of these cellv, or of the products produced by their growth ; only one experiment was made on this point, and I therefore do not give the result as b j any mesns conclusire.A healthy dog was put under chloroform, a small triangular flap of skin dissected away, a blood yessel exposed, and about 20 grains measure of an albumen solution svarming with bacteria, injected into its blood by means of a morphia syringe, and the small wound dressed.The dog was all right about half- an-hour afterwards and remained in excellent spirit and health during about t.he next two months : at the end of that time we desired to observe t.he physiological effects of an animalcule, which we obtained by washing the outside of the shell of an egg with a aolution of albumen. I t resembled a corkscrew, its body remaining almost perfectly rigid, and its length was from 14 to 2 turna of the screw, and it propelled itself by turning rapidly round, and thus went through the fluid on the same principle as a corkscrew goes through a cork.About 20 grains of a fluid swarming with this kind of animalcule was injected into the blood of the dog by the same process as above described, this had no injurious effect upon it and i t continued to live a long time afterwards in as good health as before.We then decided to try a third experiment an the physiological action of the ‘(putrid cell.” Part of the contents of nn egg which had been thoroughly disintegrated by this morbid growth was diffused through a little altumen solution and 20 grains of it injected as before into the blood of the dog, but almost immediately afteraard3 the dog had a slight convulsion and died.It is possible that this was due to the poisonous action of tho ‘( putrid cell” or products produced by it, but as the experiment was not again repeated I am not prepared to say that the chloroform had nothing to do with its death, and unfortunately it will now be illegal for me to repeat the experiment.I n conclusion, I would simply ask, first, whether this ferment has not been the cause of the foul odour and poisonous effects of the sample of milk, descrihed by Dr. Muter, and produced under special conditions either directly from the milk itself or from Borne foreign organized granules or cells in it?-and, secondly, whether the eggs in the bread pudding might not hare been the direct cause of this ferment and the ferment the cause of the poisonoue effects which the bread pudding produced, and which were so well described by Mr, A.H. Allen. The experiment is, howerer, given for what it is worth.THE ANALYST. 11 AMOUNT O F SOLIDS IN MILK. By CHARLES A . CAMERON, M.D. As a contribution tovards a solution of the question as to the minimum amount of solids in milk, the following may be of some assistance :- About two years ago a somewhat large number of specimens of milk were sent to me for analysis by the Corporation of Drogheda.Very few of them were of fair quality, some were of rery doubtful composition, others were partly skimmed or were watered. Sereral of the vendors of the skimmed and watered milks were prosecuted and fined.A second batch of samples of milk was subscquently sent up, and exhibited a marked improve- ment-only one specimen mas largely adulterated, and its vendor was prosecuted and fined. The result i a that the milk sold in Drogheda during the present year appears to be perfectly free from adulteration. I shall not give full details of analyseg but merely the total solids in each of the specimens sent from time t o time in 1878.Percentage of solid~:-l3*49, 13.60, 13-90, 12.55, 13'10, 22-75, 13.52, 13.10, 13.00. 23-15, 12.30, 12.98, 12.19, 12.75, 12.36, 12.89, 12.25, 14.79, 13.34, 14 55, 14-48, 13.89, 12.80, 12.82, 12.80, 13.00. Average of the 26 specimens, 13-31. These 26 samples of milk were taken partly from the supplies brought into town by the country people and disposed of to the local dealers, partly from the milk of the local cowkeepers. The samples were taken without any previous warning, the inspector of food being put into motion by the borough survejor. We may take it for certain then that the milk of th6 dairy cows in the neighbourhood of l3roghed.a contains on the average more than 13 per cent, of solids. The minimum amount in the 26 samples was 12.19, the maximum 14-19. Ten grammes of each sample were evdporated to dryness in a shallow capsule, and care taken to ensure thorough dessication. More than one half contained eyer 13 per cent. of solids.