CHAPTER IX
IB EVERT CONTAGION ^ EIND OF PUTREFACTION?

Now let us enquire whether every kind of contagion is a kind
of putrefaction, and whether every putrefaction is contagious.
It seems that every putrefaction is contagious, either absolute—
ly, or at least contagious to a contiguous part, but not every
putrefaction is contagious for another body, since, in order
that it may act, many faectors are required, as I have said.
Perhaps one may doubt whether every contagion consists in
putrefaction of some sort; since rabies seems to be contagion
of a sort, but not a putrefaction. Likewise, when wine turns
to vinegar, it seems to suffer a sort of contagion by something
else, but not to suffer putrefaction. For when it putrefies it
has a bad smell and is unfit to drink, whereas vinegar is pleasant
to taste and even opposes putrefactions. Vet these cases also
must be regarded as putrefactions of a sort. We must recog—
nise this fact, that in putrefactions there sometimes occurs mere—
ly dissolution of a combination, merely evaporation of the mois—
ture and innate heat, and then no fresh generation?* results;
this is ealled 'simple' putrefaction. Sometimes, during the
evaporation itself, there occurs simultaneously some generation,
whether of some animal organism or of something else which
has a single and definite form and its own peculiar fashion of
combination and arrangement. / In cases in which simple putre—
faction occurs, but not generation, there is a stench and a dis—
gusting taste, for the reason which has been stated in my work
'On Sympathy'.?7?  But when some new generation takes place,
and a redistribution and disposition of the parts according to a
definite shape, then there is often no stench or disgusting taste.
Thus wine also sometimes putrefies 'simply!, and contracts
decay and becomes unpleasant and undrinkable. But some—
times it does not putrefy simply, and there is a simultaneous
generation, as of vinegar; for when there is evaporation of
what is sweet and a6rated, there is a considerable residue of
the volatile, earthy and burnt element, and much watery ele—

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