Observations on the freezing of the albumen of eggs

The object of this paper is to illustrate a peculiar property of the albumen of the eggs of birds, a property which seems to have its purpose in preserving them from the injurious effects of very low temperatures. Mr. Hunter observed that a fresh egg will resist freezing longer than one which has been previously frozen and thawed; and he referred this fact to the ‘vital power’ of the egg in the first case, and the destruction of that power by freezing in the second. The author’s experiments confirm those of Mr. Hunter, and prove, also, that when fresh eggs are exposed to very low temperatures, and also in the case of eggs which are decayed, or putrid, or the contents of which have been much altered by mechanical force or by electricity, a shorter time is sufficient for the freezing of such eggs, than is necessary for the freezing of those which are uninjured.