for 'presermng the Body from Fire. 209 



basket, was fresh, and the pulse had risen only from 84 to 

 98. The other firemen endured the effects of this experiment 

 two minutes and twenty seconds. 



The pulse of the fireman who carried the child 



rose from 92 to 1 1 6 



That of the second, 88 — 152 



third, 84 — 1^8 



fourth, 78 — 1 24 



The pulse of the other two was not counted ; but it is impos- 

 sible to draw any conclusions from these differences in the 

 number of pulsations before and after the experiment; they 

 are doubtless partly owing to the effect of heat, but also partly 

 to the agitation occasioned by so new and alarming a situation. 

 The circumstance which seemed to strike the observers 

 most, and to alarm the firemen, was the fear that their breath- 

 ing would be affected. How, said one of them, can one 

 breathe in the midst of flames ? 



If, when we say that the firemen have crossed flames, it is 

 understood that they have been constantly enveloped in them 

 for two or three minutes, their situation should appear very 

 dangerous. MM. Gay Lussac and D"*Arcet satisfied them- 

 selves, by a number of experiments, that every time that a fur- 

 nace, sufficiently heated, smokes or discharges flame, the air 

 taken into the interior of this furnace is entirely deprived of 

 oxygen. It is certain then, that in flame, even after it has 

 been extinguished by the wire gauze, respiration cannot take 

 place, and suffocation would be the consequence. If the fire- 

 men have not experienced a difficulty of breathing, it is ne- 

 cessary that air of sufficient purity must have reached them ; 

 and we may conceive different ways in which this may have 

 taken place. 



1. It is certain that the heads of the firemen were not con- 

 stantly in the flames, which are known to be easily moved, and 

 driven about by the lightest currents of air, and consequently 

 that they must have found moments favourable for respiration. 



2. Admitting that the firemen remained too long a time in 

 the flames to be able to breathe easily, we may then conceive 

 that the fresh air rises between the two garments which do 

 not touch, and supplies it for respiration. . 



