On the Action of Elastic Fluids upon Meat. 7 1 



subject, and I now venture to present a course of experi- 

 ments which I flatter n)yself will conduce m some measure 

 to the advancement of science. 



T mu^t previously observe, 1st. That I constantly em- 

 ployed the same kind of ficsh, viz. beef, in order to he cer- 

 tain that the differences noted could onlv proceed from ihe 

 action of the different elastic fluids ; that this flesh was taken 

 from the same animal, and even from the same muscle ; 

 that it did not contain the least fat, but only the muscular 

 iibrcs; that the pieces were ail of equal size, cut into paral- 

 Jel strips, and proportioned to the size of the vessels. 2d. 

 That I aKvavs employed the flesh of an animal that had 

 been killed two hours. 3d. That I preserved only the last 

 portions of disengaged gas, in order to have it free from 

 r.ny mixture of the atmosplicric air contained in the re- 

 ceiver, and that I always made use of the gas a little while 

 after it was prepared. The atmospheric air was taken from 

 a spacioLis open garden. ■ 4th. I i)laced the vessels m a 

 room inaccessible to the sun, the windows of which fronted 

 the north and were very sm;dl, so as to exclude the action 

 of light, which I propose to examine at some other opjjor- 

 tuniiy. The temperature of this room is cool in summer, 

 and in winter it is above the freezing point ; if, however, 

 frost was to be apprehended, I removed the vessels into iiiv 

 study, which was by the side of ihp room. 



I emploved three melhods of subjecting the flesh to cas; 

 and to avoid repetition, T shall designate them as folknvs: 

 1st. above wa^er, '2(1. tibove mercury, and 3d. in an empty 

 bottle. 



J St. (Experiment over water.) T filled cylindrical re- 

 ceivers which contained from 92 to 98 cubic inches Paris 

 measure, over the pneumatic trough. I then inlroducecl 

 into them pieces of the flesh 3i inches lono-, i inch broad, 

 and 3- of an inch thick. To support the flesh, I mads use 

 ot a brass stand formed of two plates, which crossed each 

 other. 'I'he top of this stand was made of the same metal, 

 the plates being joined bv a piece ot the same, placed per- 

 pendicularly ; these tvvo, upper plates had a point half an 

 inch long, upon which the piece of meat was suspended. 

 When tlie stand whs thus pnrpared, I passed it imder water 

 and introduced it into the receiver. I then passed a plate 

 under water and placed the recipient above, so that 1 miizht 

 take it from the trough and place it upon a table. As Ihe 

 water rose, wliirh happened when the temperature w.is di- 

 minished, or wiicn gas uas absorbed, 1 took care to add 

 ii/j;c, so as to prevent l!i>c ai 'X's? of atmospheric air. By 



K4 this 



