706 Experiments 



The following experiment, conducted in the same manner, is 

 even more striking because of the enormous decompression to 

 which I subjected myself without harm. 



Experiment CCLVII. March 30. I enter the apparatus at 10:15; 

 pressure 759 mm. I have with me a sparrow, whose rectal temper- 

 ature is 41.9°, a rat, and a candle. 



10:22; they close the door; pulse rate, 60. 



10:29; pressure 710 mm.; pulse, 63. 



10:34; 665 mm.; pulse, 64. 



10:40; 640 mm.; pulse, 65; I see bubbles of gas appearing in the 

 water I have beside me in a glass. 



10:43; 605 mm. 



10:46; 580 mm.; pulse, 66. 



At 555 mm., I whistle easily enough; the flame of the candle grows 

 rather blue, the wick lengthens; it is almost half the length of the 

 flame. 



At 510 mm., impossible to whistle high notes. 



10:53; 480 mm.; pulse, 70; a little discomfort. 



10:55; 455 mm.; pulse, 78; a feeling of congestion in the head; gas 

 escaping above and below. 



10:58; 430 mm.; pulse, 80; the bird vomits, appears quite sick, 

 but remains perched; the rat seems quite calm. 



11:00; 410 mm.; pulse, 86; I place before my mouth the tube of 

 the oxygen bag, which the decompression has distended, and breathe 

 a very highly superoxygenated mixture; dizziness. 



11:02; 400 mm.; pulse has dropped to 64; the bird vomits again; 

 the rat seems very uneasy. 



11:05; 378 mm.; pulse, 66; impossible to whistle. 



11:09; 360 mm.; pulse, 72; a little discomfort, although I have 

 breathed oxygen continuously, but at a distance, it is true. I then 

 take the discharge tube in my mouth, without closing the nostrils, and 

 keep it there until the end of the experiment. The discomfort dis- 

 appears immediately. 



11:11; 348 mm.; pulse, 66; the sparrow's respiratory rate is 126. 



11:14; 323 mm.; pulse, 64; the sparrow, which is vomiting hard, 

 nevertheless remains on its perch. 



11:17; 310 mm.; I have a little discomfort, with a pulse of 75. 



11:19; 300 mm.; the sparrow is very sick. 



11:22; 295 mm.; pulse, 64; my discomfort has entirely disappeared. 



11:24; 288 mm. 



11:27; 280 mm.; pulse, 66; the flame of the candle is very blue; the 

 wick is about % the length of the flame. 



11:33; 258 mm.; pulse, 70; the bird vomits and seems extremely 

 sick, but it still remains on its perch. 



11:34; 255 mm. 



11:36; 248 mm.; pulse, 64; I let the pressure increase. 



11:38; 290 mm.; pulse, 63. 



11:40; 340 mm.; the rectal temperature of the sparrow is only 

 36.4°. 



11:43; 390 mm.; pulse, 54; I stop breathing oxygen. 



