ON PUTREFACTION. 49 



it follows that muriatic acid gas should be changed into oxy- It may be of 

 muriatic by one-fourth of its bulk of oxygen. According to v * lue to 

 Gay Lussac andTHENARD*, three measures of muriatic acid ascertain the 

 should condense one of oxygen (or only one-third their bulk), proportions of 

 and should form two measures of oxymuriaic acid. Hitherto, mur . ac jd gai 

 I have not been able to satisfy myself respecting the true pro- which form 

 portions of oxygen and muriatic acid gases, that are capable but^hishas * 

 of being united by electricity j for-though I have made several n °t yet been 

 experiments with this view, they have not agreed in yielding e ecte * 

 similar results. The condensation of a part of the undecom- 

 posed acid by the water, which is formed during the process, 

 will, probably, indeed, always be an impediment to our learning 

 these proportions exactly. The fact is chiefly of value, as it 

 affords an example of the production of oxymuriatic acid under 

 the simplest possible circumstances 5 and as it shews unequivo- 

 cally that, under such circumstances, the visible appearance of 

 moisture is a part of the phenomena. 



Manchester, Jan. 6, 1812. 



XI. 



Experiments on Putrefaction. By John Manners, M. D. of 

 Philadelphia. In a letter from the Author. 



To Mr. Nicholson. 



SIR, 



FROM reading a paper upon the vinous and putrefactive Whether ory< 

 fermentation bv Gay Liusac, in a late number of your g . en eqm * 

 J J J site to putre- 



" Philosophical Journal," in which the author, according to the faction, 

 general opinion of chemical philosophers, contended that the 

 access of atmospheric air or oxygen gas, was a sine qua non 

 of the process, I was induced to institute the following experi- 

 ments on putrefaction, by which I have proved (as 1 conceive) 

 beyond the possibility of exoeptioo, that oxygen is not only 

 unessential to the putrefactive fermentation, but has, when in 

 actual contact with the putrefying substance, no influence on 

 that process. 



* Memoiread'Arcueil,!!. 217. 



Vol. XXXIV.— No. 15$. E I secured 



