64 Chemical Experiments on Merairy. 



that we should acknowledge the advantage which we haVflf 

 derived in our researches from the practical skill and che- 

 mical sagacity oi'M. Paumier, who has assisted us in our 

 labours, and shared in our solicitude to give them all the 

 requisite accuracy. 



Conjecture, 



Before concluding, we beg leave to offer a conjecture to- 

 ■\vhich this inquiry has given rise. We feel the less reluc- 

 tance in presenting it, as it rei'ers to a point which,, in the 

 peient slate of our knowledge, cannot yet be a sui)ject ol 

 reasoning in the proper sense of the term. 



It is well known that mercury, in the si>ate of oxide or 

 of salt, is euiploved in medicine for the cure of venereal 

 disorders. The cilects of this remedy arc well known, but 

 its mode of action is far from being so. Does it act by 

 forming a combination with the principle of the disease, 

 fvrbv vielding to it its oxygen, and being reduced itself to 

 llieinetallic state? The latter opinion, which has some 

 facts to support it, seems the most probable. The experi- 

 ments of which wc have just jriven an account, persuade 

 US, that of all the substances which the mercurial oxides 

 and salts may meet with in the animal oeconomy, none can 

 take from them their oxygen so easily as the phosphorous 

 acid or the phosphites. 



Some perhaps may tcII us, that there may exist in the 

 animal liquids, alkalies, or alkaline earths, capal)le of dc- 

 composuig tlie mercurial salts, and separating their oxides. 

 We shall only ans\Acr, tha' the alkalies do not exist in the 

 caustic state in these ii(|uids, and that consequently their 

 radicals cannot by double affinities cortibine with the oxides 

 of mercurv ; and that, even though the oxide of mercury 

 should be in this state, a substance would still be required 

 that could carry away its oxygen. It is possible that such 

 substances may be discovered in the human body ; but we 

 do not know of any which possesses the property of seizing 

 the ox}gen from the oxides of mercury in a degree at all 

 tomparalile vilh phosphorous acid and the phosphites. It 

 is known that a large quantity of phosphoric acid is con- 

 tained in the human body: of this the phosphate of lime 

 which constitutes thebones is a proof. It is easy lo conceive 

 the formation of phosphorous acid and phosphites in the 

 human body, since phosphorous acid in reality is nothing 

 else than phosphoric acid with an excess of phosphorus. 

 We conjecture, however, that the formation of phospho- 

 rous acid and of phosphites might perhaps be supported by 



the 



