3S4 On UespiraUon. 



vessel, was filled to the brim with water, the lungs were 

 then conipleteiy inimeised, and tlie water which flowed 

 over, aad was the measure of their vokune, weighet^- six 

 pounds two ounces : we next cut a portuni of the lungs 

 into small pieces, under a large inverted glass of water, and 

 attempted to squeeze the air from the cells; but ajlhoiigh 

 several cubic inches were thus procured, we were soon con- 

 vinced that it was utterly impossible to arrive at our object 

 bv these means, as no force that we could use seemed ca- 

 pable of expelling the air from the cellular membrane, into 

 which it escaped from the vesicles. We therefore took por- 

 tions of the lungs, which weighed 2/74 grains; the mass 

 being put into a piece of new hair cloth, was subjected to 

 the action of a powerful screw press, and the fluid was re- 

 ceived in a vessel ; after twice undergoing this operation, 

 the mass weighed only 660 grains. Its specific gravity was 

 very nearly that of water, viz. -gso water being rooo : the 

 fluid procured by the press was of the specific gravity of 

 1-019: this would make the specific gravity of the lungs 

 •997, water being fOOO: hence it appears, that the sub- 

 staiice of the lungs, and the contents of the blood-vessels 

 together, are so near the specific gravity of water, that they 

 mav be fairlv considered as the same. 



Then, as the mass of the lungs was equal to 4 pounds of 

 water, though 6*2 pounds of water were displaced by them, 

 and as a pound of water occupies the space of 2SS75 cubic 

 inches, we have the following calculation : 



lbs. oz. 



6 2 water displaced by the lungs 

 4 1 weiiiht of the lungs 



2 ! ,or 59-554 cubic inches of air in the lungs, to which 

 mustbcadded 31-550 the volume of the air forced into the 



bladder on opening the thorax. 



91-134 



and this gives us 91-134 cubic inches, as the air contained 

 in the ku^gs of this person after death; and when we re- 

 flect that the air must have been under compression, when 

 the hnigs were immersed in water, some force being re- 

 quired t^o keep them down, and also that not less than 7 or 

 8 cubic inches must be contained in fauces, Sec, we can- 

 not estimate the wliole at less than lOO cubic inches.^ 



U is further to be noted, liiat these 100 cubic inches 

 •would occupy much more space in the temperature of the 

 human body, than in the mean lemi)erature in which the 

 examination was made i and this difference would be nearly 



8 cubic 



