544 Experiments 



LXII. Weight 665 grams. Bell-jar of 15.5 liters. 



Began at 3:22; at 3:40, the pressure is 27 cm.; vomits, defecates. 



At 3:48, pressure is only 16 cm.; very uneasy. Cocks closed. Dies 

 at 3:53, without convulsions. 



Duration of life, per kilogram and per liter, 1 minute. 



Lethal air: O* 19.0; CO* 1.0. O* x P = 4. 



LXIII. Weight 485 grams. Bell-jar of 15.5 liters. 



Pressure reduced in 15 minutes to 16 cm. Lying down, panting; 

 dies in 20 minutes. 



Duration of life, per kilogram and per liter, 3 minutes. 



Experiment LXIV. August 4. Cat weighing 2.57 kilos; bell-jar 

 of 21.5 liters. 



Began at 4:10. At 4:22, the actual pressure is 29.5 cm. Cocks 

 closed; the animal does not seem in much pain. 



At 4:37, violent struggles and cries. At 4:45, convulsions, with 

 quivering of the cutaneous muscles. Dead at 4:47. 



Duration of life, per kilo and per liter, 8.7 minutes. 



Lethal air: O* 10.3; CO 9.6. 



CO* 



CO* + O* = 19.9; =0.90. Oxygen tension = 4. 



O* 



The value of the oxygen tension in these experiments was: at 

 76 cm., 4.4; at 51.2 cm., 4.9; at 29.5 cm., 4; at 21.8 cm., 4.4; at 16 cm., 4. 



If now we find the duration of life taking as base a liter of air 

 and reducing the calculation to one kilogram of body weight, the 

 result is: at 76 cm., the duration of life was 7.7 minutes; at 5.12 cm., 

 7.1 minutes; at 29.5 cm., 8.7 minutes; at 27 cm., 3 minutes; at 16 cm., 

 3 minutes. We must not forget that the cat at 29.5 cm. was very 

 different from the others, and being much bigger, should consume 

 less oxygen in a given time, and consequently live longer in a 

 given space. 



I thought it would be interesting to experiment on new-born 

 animals, which resist asphyxia much longer than adults, as is 

 known. However, I could not go noticeably farther with them in 

 decompression than with adults. Kittens born two days before, 

 brought rapidly to 8 to 12 centimeters of pressure, died in seven 

 or eight minutes. 



Here are the results of experiments in which the air was 

 analyzed. 



Experiments LXV to LXVIII, simultaneous. July 4; pressure 76 cm. 

 Kittens born July 1, weighing an average of 125 grams. 

 LXV. Bell-jar of 675 cc, subtracting displacement of animal, 550 cc. 

 Entered at 2:42; brought rapidly to a pressure of 58 cm. At 3:40 

 seems dead, but does not really die until 4:35. 

 Lethal air: O* 3.0; CO* 17.1. 



