154 Progress of Foreign Science. 



8. They appropriate, during their vegetation, the oxygen and 

 hydrogen of the water, making it lose the liquid state. 



9. These results are sometimes to be observed only in volumes 

 of air, which exceed 30 or 40 times the volume of the fruit, 

 and by weakening much the heating action of the sun. If we 

 neglect these precautions, several fruits corrupt the air, even 

 in the sun, by forming carbonic acid with the ambient oxygen. 

 But still in the latter case, the mere comparison of their effect 

 in the shade, with that which they produce, under the succes- 

 sive influence of the night and of the sun, demonstrates that 

 they decompose the carbonic acid. 



10. The differences between the results of M. Berard and 

 mine, proceed principally from his enclosing the fruits in a space 

 which was only 6 or 8 times greater than their own volume, 

 and which was too narrow for them not to suffer by the neigh- 

 bourhood or contact of the sides of the receiver heated by the 

 «un. Some succulent plants, fplantes grasses,) resist this trial, 

 and my results with the cactus, may have induced this chemist 

 to treat fruits by the same process ; but several of them require 

 more tender management, not only than the fleshy plants, but 

 even than the most delicate leaves. I think also that he ought 

 to have nourished the fruits with a small quantity of water ; 

 the appearance of freshness which he found in them after the 

 experiment, might have some weight, if he had been operating 

 on leaves, which lose their look and consistence by the least 

 drying; but it has little value for thick and fleshy fruits, which 

 may be deteriorated and lose their weight, without giving any 

 such indication by inspection alone. 



The second paper to which we referred above, is entitled, 

 " Examination of the Blood, and its Action in the different 

 Phenomena of Life, by J. L. Prevost, M.D., and J. A. Dumas," 

 published in the Bihliotheque Universelle. " If we submit," 

 say these gentlemen, " to the action of the voltaic pile, the 

 white of an egg, it is decomposed, the coagulated albumen is 

 carried to the positive pole, the caustic soda to the negative. 

 This experiment, which we owe to Mr. Brande, demonstrates 

 that the white of egg ought to be regarded as an albumenate 

 of soda, with excess of base. We have submitted to a very 

 careful microscopic examination, the coagulum which is pro- 

 duced in these circumstances, and it is not without satisfaction 

 that we have seen very distinct globules similar in every thing 

 to those of the b'ood, &c. ; the same appearance, the same dia- 

 meter, the same disposition to form ranges or aggregates. This 

 remarkable result appears proper to throw some liglit on the 

 animal secretions, and in particular on the formation of the 

 chyle." They measured the dimensions of the globules of 



