The LiebigMlohler Satire on Fermentation Paul d e Mayo, Albert Stoessl,' and Melvyn C. Usselman2 The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada N6A 587 In the 19th century, scientific journals were often in the custody of one man, who usually superintended all aspects of journal production. Such information entrepreneurs could have a ereat imnact on the course of their sciintific soecialtv ~* by serGng botgas critic and gatekeeper of the flow of information published. One who took full advantage of such opportunities was Justus von Liebig, who introduced editorial criticism into the oaees of the Maeazin der Pharmacie shortly after assumingits control in i831 ( I ) . Then, as the Annalen der Pharmacie (from 18321, and subsequently, as the Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie (from 1840), Liebig's journal served as the vehicle for the dissemination of research results he deemed worthy of note-embellished when necessary by editorial adjudication. Liebig was a towering figure in the 19th century scientific world, and his criticism of a discovery or a n interpretation could considerablv affect the receotion of the tareeted work hv the reading. auzience. ~ n j o y i n ga freedom nolonger avaiiable to%t< century editors, Liebig even occasionally published satirical papers, especially when so encouraged by his lifelong friend, Friedrich Wohler, who supplemented his own great chemical' skills with much good humor. One consequence of the Liebie/Wohler alliance well known to chemists is the satire "On the Substitution Law and the Theory of Types," which appeared in the Annalen in 1840 (2).In this, a communication (to Liebig, from a n S. C. H. Windler3) reported a chemical conversion, by methods of superficial plausibility, of manganese acetate into a hydrate of pure, polyatomic solid "chlorine", which was capable of being woven into cloth. The intent of the letter was to ridicule the notion that a substance could maintain its essential character despite the replacement of its constituent atoms by quite different ones. Less well known, however, is a n earlier, more elaborate, satire, engineered again by Liebig and Wohler, that cast the biological theory of fermentation in a most unflattering light. During the 19th century the concept of vitalism in its various aspects was central to the studs of those compounds whose formation was believed to involve a "life force". One focus of attention was the nature of fermentation and putrefaction. On one side of the metaphysical divide werethose, such as Liebig and Wdhler, who believed that fermentation was a chemical decomposition of organic material that required oxygen. On the other side were those who favored a biological explanation: for these, yeast was a living organism that was capable of degrading sugars (3). In 1837 Cagniard de la Tour presented a paper to the French Academy of Sciences in which he concluded that brewer's seast was c o m ~ o s e dof spherical cells canable of multiplic~tionby budding, and that fermentation was a biological process. About the same time, Theodor Schwann reported that the agents that initiated fermentation were contaminants introduced to the system from the air. Finally, also in 1837, Friedrich Kutzing published a corroborating paper in which he claimed that "chemistry must now strike yeast off the list of chemical compounds, since it is not a chemical compound, but a n organic body, a n organism" (4). In an attemnt to clarifv the situation. the French Academv of Sciences invited ~ i & eTurpin to 'examine the p r o b l e k ThisTurpin did, and in a long paper published in 1838 (5)be
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concluded "That no alcoholic or acetic fermentation has yet been induced without the presence of living organic globules, capable of growth in the sugar-containing liquid.. ." (6). Such a conclusion did not sit well with the protagonists of the chemical interpretation. Nonetheless, Liebig did publish ashort synopsis of Turpin's observations in the Annalen (7). Immediately following the extract, however, was a clever parody of the research that which ranks as one of the wittiest in the chemical literature (8). The satire on fermentation, composed by Liebig and Wohler (9),lampoons the concept of a biologically based fermentation. A translation of this contribution to the Annalen follows.
Spirit and Ferment: The Mystery Dispelled (a preliminary communication by letter) I am ahout t o dewlopa new theory of wine fcrn,rnralim. Theclue to thir degradatiun, hithem, 30 incomprehensible. was iound by me in thesimpleit manner in the world; and I am entirely 01 the opinion that the matter is settled. The discovery once again demonstrates the simplicity of the means employed hy Nsture for the production of the most marvelous phenomena. I owe it to the use of a splendid microscope which was constructed by that excellent artist, Pistorius4.to the soecificationa of the famous Ehrenbere5. Brewer's yeast, dispersed in water, is resolved hy this instrument into infinitesimally small spherelrts. hardly 1 4uOuf a line in diameter,and mtoilne threads which unmistakably area kind of albumin. If these spherelets are placed into sugar water, they can he seen to be animal eggs; they swell up, they burst; small animals develop from them which multiply with inconceivable rapidity, in the most unparalleled manner. In appearance,these animals diverge from all of the hitherto described, 600 species: their shape is that of a Beindorfs retort (without condenser). The deliverv tube ia a kind of proboscis, ihe interior of which i s lined w l t h tine bristles, apprbximately 1,200U line in length: teethand eyes cannot he detected, but otherwise one can discern with clarity a stomach, the intestinal canal, the anus (a rose-colored point), and the organs for the secretion of urine. It can be observed that the animals absorb the sugar from the solution from the very moment in which they escape from the eggs; the sugar can very clearly be seen to reach the stomach. It is digested instantaneously, and presently and with the greatest eertainty, this digestion can he recognized as such, by virtue of the discharge of excrements. In a word, these infusoria feed on sugar, discharge spirits from the intestinal canal, and carbonic acid from the urinaryapparatus. When full, the bladder assumes the form of a champagne bottle; empty, it is a little knob. After a little practice, one can observe that a gas huhble forms in its interior and grows tenfold. Discharge of the bladder is brought about by a kind of screw-like rotation which the animal can produce at will, by means of the muscles which run round its exterior oarts in hooo-like . fashion. 1 regard it as extraordinarily probable that what takes place is thesame na that which occurs when galvanic elertrirrty is conducvd through a metal wire; in the latter case. m e knows that, in the opinion of the most illustrious physicists, magnetism is generated ~~
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Current address: Agriculture Canada, Research Centre. The Unlverslty of Western Ontario, London. ON. Canada N6A 5B7. Author to whom correspondenceshould be addressed. Schwindler is the German word for a swindler, or trickster. Perhaps Johann H. L. Pistorius (1777-1858). Probably Christian G. Ehrenberg (1795-1876). an opponent of spontaneous generation who believed that many of the organs of higher animals, such as digestive and sexual systems, could be discerned microscopically even in slngle-celled animals.
which also, instead of following a straight path as it could do without hindrance, nevertheless--and this is a Law of Nature-pursues the path of a spiral. I cite this merely as evidence that, as shown hy Dbbereiner and Schweigger" mmagnism and electricity play simultaneous roles in fermentation. Exoerience here demonstrates the validity oftheir observatiuno, a l r h i g h these had not beenaupported tly such pweriul mrcrrwopes. Thus, and without hecoming involved any further in these hypotheses, one can observe a liquid of relatively low specific gravity rising continuously from the anus of the animals, while a stream of carbonic acid spurts in brief intervals from their enormously large genitalia. When the liquid is heated to hailing, fermentation stops because the animals are killed by the high temperature. If sulfuric acid, an excess of spirits, mineral acids, or acetic acid are added, they also die and fermentation is broken off as a consequence, If the quantity of water is too low, i.e., that of the sugar too large, then, as is well known, fermentation does not take place. This is a consequence of the fact that in the thick liquid, the animals either cannot change position or can do so only with great difficulty; thus they die of indigestion caused by the lack of exercise. In order only to give an idea. for comoarative ournoses. of the dieestive Dowers of these animals..I- willcite the rkook of Thenard7aekrdindto which 3 oarta of brewers' yrapt, in dry condition, can effect the degradation of 200 par= of sugar into alcohol and carbonic acid. Thus, the excrements which the animals discharge within 18hours, weigh nearly 66 times asmuch as the animals th~m.-elve~. Ethereal mustard oil has a remarkahle effect on the animals; i f a few mustard seeds are added co the fermenting liquid, their sprileliness can he observed to diminish instantane&iy, and aft& a few moments the" aooear . . lifeless: however..thev. revive aeain after some hours, particularly if air is admitted, and fermenult;on commences with earlier vigor. The efiert is v e v similar to that of oil of anise whose fragrance,av is well known,puts fleav intoarwoon whirh lasts until the oil has evaporated. ~
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Johann W. Eberelner (1780-1849) and Johann S. C. Schweigger (1779-1857) coauthored an 1824 report on ferrnentatlon. Louis J. Thenard's (1777-1857) views on fermentation. published In 1802. were viewed favorably by Liebig. Gerardus J. Mulder (1802-1880) was a pioneer In the analysis of protein.
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I have noticed that solanine has an emetic action on these infusoria; if it is added to a vigorously fermenting solution of sugar, then the animals are seen to contract along the vertical, and aliquid flows from their prohosces which incontes&bly is the fusel oil &potatoes, because its presence can he demonstrated. The fuse1 oil of grain and grape brandy appears to be secreted from the skin surface by a kind of sweating process. There remains one important question to he solved; what do the animals gain from their unrivaled, ravenous appetite for sugar; what exactly dothey assimilate into their bodies? The answer to this is also clear. The fine threads of albumin, which were mentioned earlier on, supply the nitrogen content of the animals and are assimilated together with a portion of sugar. The most remarkable observation is the chemical composition of the animals. I submitted 0.4375 g (50,000millions in number) to analysis with copper oxide in the usual way. Replicate determinations supported the view that the animals contained the 4 elements in a ratio consistent with their being constituted of albumin (as by the analysis of Mulder8), ether, and carbonic acid. This then explains not only the whole process of their digestion but also the particulars, hitherto so obscure, of what exactly happens to the yeast when fermentation is complete. That is, as soon as the animals can no loneer find anv suear. thev devour one another. th$ bv means of a o e c u l i i ooeratioi: ev&hine , ~,is dieested , , ~ with ~ excrptim of the eggs. whirh pass unrhanged through the intestinal canal. Illtimately, one has once again fermentable yenst, namely the seed of the animals which has survived. The last remains of the animals themselves decompose into ammonia and traces of acetic acid. At the end of the fermentation, the seed weighs somewhat less than in the beginning, a matter which is self-explanatory. Quantitative results, as also an illustration of the appearance of the animals. will follow in a more detailed account.
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Literature Clted
4. Ref 3, p 46. 5. Turpin, P. Cornple Rendv 1838,7.369-402. 6. Refd. p 402. 7. Anon. Ann. 1889,29,93-1W 8. Anon. Ann. 1839.29,lW-104. 9. Letter from Wdhler to Berzelius, 20 Nov. 1838. See Wallach, 0.. Ed. B r i ~ / ~ l e c h ~ e I lwischan J. B e i d i u a u n d P Wohler;Leipdg,1901: Vol. 2, p 72.
Volume 67
Number 7
July 1990
553
