CHANGES PRODUCED IS AIR BY RESPIRATION. |Q£ 



air was then inspired from G 2, and expired into G i, until 

 G 2 was nearly empty. This was repeated about eight or ten 

 times during three minutes, until respiration became ex- 

 tremely laborious, and the operator desisted. 



The whole 300 cubic inches must have passed eight or ten 

 times through the lungs; and we confidently expected, that 

 on examining the air we should have found an unusual pro- 

 portion of carbonic acid. 



But 100 parts gave onl? 9*5 carbonic acid, Compo-atttt 



" _ . parts of Oie n» 



5*5 oxigen, 4j**«fc 



85' azote, 



100 



Here was an increase of six parts in 100 of something which 

 the tests for oxigen would not take up, and also a loss of six 

 per cent oxigen. This seemed to convince us, that under 

 certain circumstances, as during some peculiar alteration in 

 the vital functions, gaseous oxide of carbon, carburetted hi- 

 drogen, or some other gas not absorbable by lime water or 

 the tests for oxigen, might be given off from the lungs, and 

 we accordingly determined to repeat Cruikshank's experi- 

 ments with hyperoxigenized muriatic acid gas. 



We procured the gas from hyperoxigenized muriate of Gaseous oxide 

 potash by means of muriatic acid, and mixing it with a verted 'mS>w!r« 

 known portion of gaseous oxide of carbon in a flint stopper bsnic add by 

 bottle, the mouth of which was immersed in mercury for ^/muriatic 1 * 

 twenty-four hours, the gaseous oxide of carbon was convert- acid $*►• 

 ed into carbonic acid gas, as was proved by its effects upon 

 iime water, which, when both the gasses are pure, absorbs 

 them entirely after they have remained together for twenty- 

 four hours; it was plain, therefore, that we had the means 

 of detecting gaseous oxide of carbon, and doubtless carbu- 

 retted hidrogen, if any should be contained in the expired 

 gas. From a conviction of the importance ofthese experi- 

 ments we were determined to take nothing upon trust. . 



Fifteenth Experiment, 



We repeated the 14th experiment with a little variation. 15tb expert 

 In this case we employed only one of the mercurial gasome- ment - 



ters, 



