16 On Alterations in the Scales of Thermometers. 



ancc, but, when compared with urine voided under common 

 circumstances, was found to contain a superabundant quan- 

 tity of carbonic acid : this gas was copiously given off 

 when the urine was gently heated, or when it was exposed 

 under the exhausted receiver of an air-pump. 



In a patient who had a calculus of large dimensions 

 extracted from the bladder, composed entirely of the phos- 

 phates, and whose stomach did not Vomit of the use of 

 stronger acids, carbonic acid was given in water; it was 

 found peculiarly grateful to the stomach, and upon ex- 

 amining the urine during its use, the phosphates were 

 only voided in solution ; hut when at anv time it was left 

 ■ oif, thev were voided in the form of white sand. 



J 1 1. Remarks on Mr. Richard Walker's proposed At* 

 t era t ions in the ScW&s of Thermometers, in our last 

 dumber. 



To Mr. Alloch. 



Sir, 1 he reading of Mr. R. Walker's paper on thermo- 

 meters in your last number, induces me to trouble you, for 

 the purpose of pointing out to that gentleman, what I 

 conceive to have been the reason, why various improve- 

 ments and suggested reforms, in the weights, measures, 

 and modes of estimating quantities in this country and 

 others, have been neglected and most of them forgotten, viz. 

 their authors' having neglected to asign new and appropriate 

 names and characters to the new denominations or things, 

 which it was their object to introduce; but transferring the 

 old names, as foot, inch, ounce, pound, degree, &c. &c. to 

 things almost as new and dissimilar, as these are from each 

 other. 



if the most precise and short compound words were 

 fixed on, indicative of degrees of heat and degrees of cold, 

 derived perhaps from the Greek or Latin, as being dead or 

 standard languages universally understood, to be used as new 

 prefixes or additions (with distinctive characters* which 

 could be used as abbreviations of these) to the nuinlcr of 

 tbermometric divisions proposed, instead of using cither the 

 word degrees or the character ° in present use ; I do not 

 dtspair of seeing Mr. W.'s scale or even scales (if each have 

 their own names and characters) adopted by many, since 



* Perhaps the initial Greek letters of the names might answer the*e pur* 

 poses. 



negative 



