Royal Society. 383 



equilibrium in an erect position, the body must necessarily be bent 

 forwards with a painful effort, and with a very considerable exertion 

 of muscular power. 



March 26. — A paper was read, intitled, " An experimental inquiry 

 into the physiological effects of oxygen gas upon the animal system." 

 By S. D. Broughton, Esq. F.G.S. j communicated by B. C. Brodie, 

 Esq. 



Although it has long been known that the respiration of pure 

 oxygen gas is destructive to life, some differences of opinion have 

 existed with respect to the physiological conditions of the animals 

 subjected to its influence ; and also with regard to the quantity of 

 oxygen consumed under these circumstances, compared with that 

 consumed by the respiration of atmospheric air. With a view to 

 elucidate some of these points, the author confined rabbits, guinea- 

 pigs, and sparrows, in glass jars inverted over water, containing 

 oxygen gas, obtained from black oxide of manganese by a red heat. 

 The animals at first appeared to suffer no inconvenience from the re- 

 spiration of the gas ; but after some time, generally in about an hour, 

 their breathing became hurried, and their circulation accelerated. 

 This state of excitement was followed by an opposite one of debility ; 

 the respirations became feeble, and were more slowly performed ; 

 loss of sensibility and of the power of voluntary motion gradually 

 supervened, till the only remaining visible action was a slight one of 

 the diaphragm, occurring at distant intervals. On opening the body, 

 under these circumstances, and also after the entire cessation of the 

 movements of the diaphragm, the breast was found to be still in 

 vigorous action ; the blood in every part of the vascular system, both 

 venous and arterial, was of a bright scarlet hue ; it was remarkably 

 thin, and rapidly coagulated ; and the temperature of the body con- 

 tinued undiminished. If before the diaphragm has ceased to act, the 

 animal is removed from the vessel to the open air, it generally either 

 recovers spontaneously, or its animation may be restored by arti- 

 ficially inflating the lungs with atmospheric air. The author found 

 that the gas in which animals had thus been confined till they died, 

 retains its power of rekindling a blown-out taper, and of sustaining 

 for a time the life of another animal introduced into it ; and he hence 

 deduces the inference, that it does not contain so great an excess of 

 carbonic acid as the gas left when animals have perished by confine- 

 ment in atmospheric air. He considers the train of symptoms induced 

 by the respiration of pure oxygen gas as analogous to those which 

 follow the absorption of certain poisons into the system. 



March 1 2. — A paper was read, intitled, " On the reduction to a 

 vacuum of the vibrations of a pendulum in air." By Captain Sa- 

 bine, R.A. Sec. U.S. 



March 10th. — Captain Sabine's paper On experiments made with 

 the pendulum in vacuo, w;i.s resumed and concluded. 



A])ril 2. — A paper was read, intitled, " On the physiology of the 

 nervous system." By Dr. A. V. Wilson IMiilip, F.R.S. 



April 'Jlh. — Dr. Wilson Philip's pa|)er On the physiology of the 

 nervous system was resumed and concluded, 



LINN^AN 



