On the Jetton of Elastic Fluids vpon Meat. 1 1 1 



inches out of the 96 which the receiver contained. The 

 experiment being interrupted, I had no opportunity ol" con- 

 tinuing my observations. 



Pure Hydrogen GnS, 



1st day. The meat became of a red poppv colour. 4th 

 day. No alteration, except that the meat appeared to be 

 dried up. Gth day. Some mouldiness might be observed, 

 which was increased on the 7th day. From the 8th to the 

 4lstday no change could be perceived, except that about 

 the 2()th day the mouldinees disappeared. The ilesh re- 

 sembled meal that had been salted without nitre, and after- 

 wards smoked ; there was not the least bad scent. The 

 gas did not render hme water turbidj it burned with con- 

 siderable force. 



It will he seen by this recital how necessary it is to re- 

 peat these experiments separately, in order to obtain cor- 

 rect results. The following conclusions may be drawn 

 from ihein : 



1. That hydrogen preserves and even increases the co- 

 hesion of dead flesh by drying it; that, on the contrarv, 

 oxvgen diminishes this cohesion by rendering the meat 

 moist and flaccid. It is remarkable that hydrogen pre- 

 serves the cohesion of the fibres, even above water, when 

 the ga« is loaded with humidity. 



2. That the meat undergoes alteration, and becomes dis- 

 solved much sooner in oxygen when it contains azote as 

 in aimofpheric air, and in The gas obtained from nitrate of 

 potass, than when the gas is quite pure. 



3. That nitrons gas strongly resists putrefaction, holdincr 

 the next place to hydrogen, and after it carbonic acid gas.^ 



4. That meat becomes putrid less readily in oxvgen tjas 

 than in atmospheric air; but that when putrefaction does 

 once lake place, it goes on more rapidly than in ^atmo- 

 spheric air, and the vapour arising from 'it is much more 

 offensive. 



5. That the colour of nu^at becomes brown in hydroocn 

 and grows brighter in oxygen and azotic oas. '^ ' 



6. That hydr.igen gas, nitrous and carbonic acid o-ascs 

 do not appear to suffer any change by being enclosed over 

 riuat. 



7. That oxvgen fras, either pure or combined with azote 

 is conveited into carbonic acid <ras. ' 



8. Tliat one part of the oxygen gas still retains its pro- 

 perties as in other conilnistioirs. 



9. 'i'hat dm ing the putrefaction of meat in ox^•'^cn o-;is 



azote 



