470 Royal Society. 



had been absorbed by the metal : and he stated, that the 

 proportions of oxygen or of oxyinuriatic gas which com- 

 bine with metals, are always definite; and that when two 

 proportions combine, the one bears a simple ratio to the 

 other. 



Mr. Davy, inferring from the whole series of facts that 

 oxymuriatic gas must he considered as a substance as yet 

 undecompounded, and analogous in many or its properties 

 to oxygen gas, but having stronger attractions for most in- 

 flammable bodies, — suggests the necessity of altering its 

 name; which conveys so false an idea of its nature. 



Conceiving it dangerous in the present improving state 

 of science to adopt any names connected with theoretical 

 arrangements, which may require alteration as knowledge 

 advances, — he ventures to suggest for the consideration of 

 chemical philosophers the name of chlorice, derived from 

 its screen colour; and he proposes to signify its compounds 

 by the name of the ba»is v with a termination in inc or awe : 

 thus hornsilver, improperly called muriate of silver, would 

 be named argentatte ; muriate of baryies, baryuwe, &c. 



On the 13th and 20th, the Croonian Lecture on muscu- 

 lar motion, by ■ Brodic, Csq. F. K. S. was read. The 



subjects introduced in this lecture were less numerous, and 

 the discussion less varied, than usual on similar occasions; 

 and very little or no reference was made to muscular 

 action, the ingenious lecturer confining himself to a simple 

 detail of the thermo metrical effects on the animal body, in 

 consequence of dividing the spinal marrow and afterwards 

 inflating the lungs artificially with a pair of bellows, and 

 continuing the circulation of the blood under such circum- 

 stances for nearly two hours. The subjects of operation 

 were chiefly rabbits: and the author made a great number 

 of experiments on these animals by dividing the spinal 

 marrow and suffering them to die in this manner, noticing 

 their temperature and that of the room at particular periods; 

 or, after dividing the spinal marrow, inflating the lungs, and 

 thus keeping up tire circulation for an hour, and even an 

 hour and a half; noting also the temperature of the heart, 

 intestines, and rectum, at various times during the experi- 

 ments. The result of the author's inquiries wa-, that ani- 

 mal heat dots not appear to be produced, as generally sup- 

 posed, by the action of the air on the lutfcs, and the cir- 

 culation of the blood ; as those animals whose lungs were 

 inflated, and ihe circulation artificially continued, were al- 

 wavs from one to three or four degrees colder in a certain 

 time than those whose spinal marrow was divided and s. f- 



fered 



