L ANIMALCULA OF INFUSIONS. g 



fore be afcribed to fome other caufe than obftrudt- 

 ed circulation (i). 



To difcover the immediate caufe of death, I 

 made obfervations on animals killed by cold fimi- 

 iar to fhofe I had made on animals becomin? le- 



o 



thargic at a fmall degree. The phenomena at- 

 tending death are thefe. Rigidity of the mufcles 

 gradually encreafes until the whole body hardens 

 .and freezes. Freezing firft appears at the ex- 

 tremities, whence it extends to the centre. If 

 taken to thaw in milder air, the parts acquire 

 their former pliancy, but the animal will not re- 

 vive. Its death is in confequence of having been 

 frozen, but we cannot fay it is from freezing of 

 the blood : firfl, from the reafons above jriven ; 



■' o ~ 



fecondly, becaufe feveral ^mimals being expofed 

 to cold, fome deprived of blood, and others un- 

 touched, all died in the fame time. Thus, death 

 of this kind proceeds from the folids being frozen. 

 At a certain degree of cold, the mufcles grow ri- 

 gid, and the irritable power is deilroyed ; thence 

 proceeds their apparent death. Cold more intenfe 

 freezes the mufcles; freezing deilroys the power 

 Vol. I. G ' ^ cf 



( 1 ) In my work De finomcni dclla Circolazione, I have 

 demonftrated, that many animals live a confiderable time 

 after privation of the whole blood, alfo when circulation 

 is fufpendcd, by tying up the aorta. I have fmce obferv- 

 #d this in ?-eptiles, as vipers, ferpents, eels, &c. 



