OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 



11 



Three hundred and sixty-eighth meeting. 



September 14, 1852. — Monthly Meeting. 



The President in the chair. 



Dr. M. Wyman communicated to the Academy the results 

 of some experiments upon animals, with a fluid obtained by 

 distilling water and fusel-oil from chloride of lime, in the 

 usual way of manufacturing chloroform, substituting only 

 fusel-oil for alcohol. 



A large, strong rat was placed in a quart " beaker-glass " 

 with its mouth upward, and covered with a glass plate. A 

 piece of cotton, well moistened with the fusel-oil compound, 

 was placed in the vessel. In five miimtes, no eff"ect being pro- 

 duced, an equal quantity of the compound was poured upon 

 the cotton ; in thirteen seconds, another and equal quantity 

 added. In thirty minutes the rat was washing its face with 

 its paws, and licking its body ; in forty minutes, it was ap- 

 parently well. Fresh air was admitted into the vessel at each 

 addition of fusel-oil compound. 



Half a fluid drachm of chloroform was placed in the vessel. 

 In one minute and five seconds the rat had rolled upon its 

 side ; in two minutes it was motionless ; in three minutes and 

 fifteen seconds it was dead. 



A young kitten, exposed to the compound nineteen minutes, 

 was not injured. It sucked the mother immediately after. 

 Another kitten, of the same litter, was exposed in a similar 

 vessel to the vapor of chloroform. In two minutes it became 

 insensible, and was removed from the vessel ; in two minutes 

 twenty-three seconds it partially recovered, and was returned 

 to the vessel ; in eight minutes it dropped again ; in eight 

 minutes fifty seconds it was gasping ; in nine minutes it was 

 again insensible. It was removed from the vessel, and finally 

 recovered. 



Several other experiments were tried upon kittens, and 

 upon frogs, both with the fusel-oil compound alone and mixed 

 with the vapor of chloroformj and the conclusion was inevita- 



