Appendix II 1043 



the same methods at La Paz (3720 meters) or Cerro de Pasco 

 (4350 meters) . 



In conclusion, I shall mention briefly a question of priority 

 raised by M. Mermod. According to him, his preceptor, the emi- 

 nent chemist Hoppe-Seypler, discovered the cause of death by 

 sudden decompression and the fundamental reason for mountain 

 sickness sixteen years before I did. 



In regard to the latter he quotes a notable page from the memoir 

 which I myself quoted (p. 248) , a page with which I agree entirely 

 today. But this passage shows only the keen mind of its author; 

 it is a pure hypothesis which Hoppe's own experiments contradict, 

 and which he renounces in explaining the death of animals sub- 

 jected to rarefied air. As for his share in the explanation of the 

 death of animals decompressed suddenly from several atmospheres, 

 I have specified that on page 455 of this book. 



But I shall not dwell on these questions of priority which never 

 have more than a very slight interest. 



