Cure for Afphyxia— Acetous Fermentation. 179 



procefs becaufe they fixy it hums the cloih. He proved tbat 

 if the operation is pertbrmed by an inielligent and careful 

 artill, the ch)th gains inflead of lofmg. The author ac- 

 knowledges that in thefe different procefles the agent is al- 

 ways the' fame, namely, oxygen, which combining with the 

 colouring principle renders it foluble in the leys employed, 

 which then become much more effcftual. 



The ufe which C. Polel made of oxygenated muriattc a:ii 

 gas condafted him by accident to many trials and experi- 

 ments which are of the utmoft importance. He has difco- 

 vered that this fubftancc may be employed with the greateft 

 advantage in all cafes of afphyxia. Several rats which had 

 been found drowned, were placed on a table on which fome 

 of this gas was depofited: foon after the rats difappeared, and 

 concealed themfelvcs in a corner of the room, except one 

 which remained in the neighbourhood of the apparatus: it 

 had been reftorcd to life, but, havi^^g fuftained fome injury in 

 its feet, it was not able to follow th.e reft. C. Potel caught 

 thefe animals, reduced them again to a ftate of afphyxia, 

 and, having fubjefted them to the aftion of the gas, law 

 them refufcitated before him. He repeated the experiment 

 with the fame fuccefs in cats : in the laft place, in imitation 

 of Dr. Storcli, who tried on himfelf the adion of hemlock, 

 this young chemift was induced to try on himfelf the efficacy 

 of his new method, and his boldnefs was crowned with fuc- 

 c'efs. The academy has appointed commiffioners to afcer- 

 tain in a certain manner the property of this gas in cafes of 

 afphyxia. 



C. Degouvcnain gave the refult of a great number of ex- 

 periments be made on acetous fermentation, and which led 

 to the dcmonflration of two points in theory not before 

 proved by any pofitive faft ; one of which, when the author 

 publiflies his procefles, will fcrve a.; a guide to thofe defirous 

 of niakin<T good vinegar. In the mean time he has a])plied 

 his difcovcry to the advantage of domellic economy ; and 

 being convinced that the elncacy of aromatic vinegar de- 

 pends much more on its acid nature than the aromatoua 

 fubftanccs with which it is accompanied, he made fome 

 vshieh to be fiturafed required from 130 to 150 parts of pot- 

 afli in a ihonfand, whereas the llrongefl. before known (that 

 of iMaille) abffjrbs only 114. 



Good wine combined with oxygen by a feries of ingenious 

 procclii's peculiar lo himfelf, is the only fubftancc lie employs 

 for making vinrgar; and the refult, according to the report uf 

 the cominiHioners of the academy appointed to examine it, 

 is, that it is in every refpedt fuperior in quality to the molt 

 M 2 ceLbrat«d 



