26 



bodies flacced without any signs of life. I was anxi- 

 ous to ascertain whether it was possible to revive 

 them. To effect this I supposed the most likely way 

 to succeed would be to put them into moist earth, and 

 expose them to the sun. In the space of half an hour 

 they exhibited feint signs of life, moved their tails 

 feebly, and shortly expired. 



The same experiments were repeated three times, 

 under similar circumstances, with the same result. 

 When they were permitted to remain in the fixed air 

 two hours, it was impossible to revive them by the 

 same mode of treatment,* 



EXPERIMENT V. 



I obtained the muriatic acid gas from common 

 salt, by the addition of the sulphuric acid. Having 

 transmitted it to the vessel in which the experiment 

 was to be performed, I took two worms, washed 

 them in rain water, and wiped them perfectly dry, 

 and caused them to pass into the vessel containing 

 the gas. It was instant death to them, without the 

 least signs of pain. The mercury began to rise in the 

 vessel as soon as they were introduced. I supposed 

 it was owing to the gas disorganizing their bodies, 

 and causing the fluid which they cont;jin in a uait of 

 health to be discharged, which absorbed the gas and 



* The properties of this air as an anthelmintic, by injection, was 

 mentioned by the professor of Materia Medica in Jiig lectuies. 



