The optical deportment of the atmosphere in relation to the phenomena of putrefaction and infection. With: Further researches on the deportment and vital persistence of putrefactive and infective organisms from a physical point of view.

TYNDALL, JOHN

Published by London: Trübner, 1876, 1876

About this Item

2 offprints from 'Phil. Trans.' FIRST SEPARATE EDITIONS. 4 to. Orig. printed wrappers. 1 leaf, pp. 27-74; 1 leaf, pp. 149-206. Illus. Minor repairs to backstrip; a fine set. G-M 1932 (the first entry under 'Antibiotics'). "Tyndall approached bacteriology by way of physics. During his researches on radiant heat, he had been greatly impressed by the difficulty of removing the particles that were floating in the atmoshpere. He later began to focus his attention on these atmospheric particles, publishing two important memoirs in the 'Philosophical Transactions' (1876, 1877). The first of these memoirs described his experiments with a hermetically sealed chamber in which the atmospheric dust had been allowed to settle; sterilized infusions protected within this chamber remained uninfected for months, while similar infusions exposed to air all showed bacterial growth. Tyndall pursued these researches further in his second memoir, demonstrating that only a small amount of atmospheric dust was required for contamination, and testing the limits of heat resistance of the infecting bacteria. As bacteria pass through a thermoresistant latent stage as well as an active one, Tyndall devised a method of discontinuous boiling ('Tyndallization') to render infusions completely sterile. Tyndall's researches, along with those of Pasteur, dealt the final blow to the doctrine of spontaneous generation." (H.F. Norman Lib. Cat. 2119 - annotation for 1881 book appearance). Bulloch, 'Hist. bacteriology', 1938, p.400. Lechevalier & Solotorovsky, 'Three centuries microbiology', 1974, p.37. Blocker Coll., p.398. Seller Inventory # 000136

Bibliographic Details

Title: The optical deportment of the atmosphere in ...

Publisher: London: Trübner, 1876

Publication Date: 1876

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Fine

Edition: 1st Edition