Death in Closed Vessels 517 



decompression; at about, a drop of 40 cm., it grew calm, began to pant 

 and grew sicker and sicker. At 3:53, the pressure was only 20.8 cm. 

 Cocks closed. The bird was very sick, struggled violently and convul- 

 sively, and died at 3:55, that is, in 2 minutes, in a quantity of air 

 corresponding to 1.27 liters. 



At 4:15, its rectal temperature was still 31.6°, and the rigor mortis 

 was very pronounced. 



Lethal air: O 20.5; CO 0.3. 



XVIII. Bell of 3.2 liters. 



Begun at 3:47. The bird struggled as did the preceding one, then 

 grew calm at a drop of about 40 cm. and immediately became quite 

 sick. At 3:51, the pressure was only 27.8 cm.; cocks closed. 



The bird was then very sick, and seized by vomiting. But he 

 quickly recovered and was fairly well about 4 o'clock. At 6:30, died 

 without convulsions. He therefore lived 2 hours in a quantity of air 

 corresponding to 1.15 liters. 



At 6:42, his rectal temperature was 21.4°; no rigor mortis. At 6:45, 

 21°; beginning rigor. At 6:47, that is, after 17 minutes, complete 

 rigor; temperature 20.5°. 



Lethal air: O- 8.5; CO 10.9. 



CO 



CO + O- = 19.4; = 0.88. 



O 



XIX. To examine the natural course of the decrease of temper- 

 ature and the onset of rigor mortis, at 5:07, I cut off the head of a 

 sparrow like the preceding. The rectal temperature was 42.8°; the 

 reflex movements disappeared immediately; the eye lacked sensitivity, 

 although the beak still opened spontaneously several times. After 3 

 minutes, the temperature was 41.7°; after 15 minutes, 35.5°; after 23 

 minutes, 32.9°; after 38 minutes, 29.5°. At that time there was no rigor 

 mortis yet. 



Experiments XX to XXIV, simultaneous. June 3; temperature 

 20°; pressure 76.3 cm. House sparrows. 



These experiments were made with the purpose of finding out 

 whether the dimensions of the bells have a considerable effect upon 

 the composition of the lethal air when the decompression is the same 

 in all. 



XX. Bell of 11.5 liters. 



Begun at 2:51. At 2:57, the pressure is only 30.8 cm. The sparrow 

 has not struggled, he is hardly sick. Cocks closed. 



At 3:05, he staggers and vomits, but recovers rather quickly; at 

 5:40, a little sick; at 9:30, very sick: air is extracted with the mercury 

 pump, which decreases the pressure about 1.5 cm. more; the bird's 

 discomfort seems increased immediately. 



Dies at 9:50; lived 6 hours 53 minutes in a bell the capacity of 

 which, reduced to normal pressure, would represent 4.66 liters, or 1 

 hour 28 minutes per liter. 



The rectal temperature, taken at 9:55, is 28.4°; there is no rigor 

 mortis, but it is present at 10:05, the temperature being 26.7°. 



