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 LX. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



UOYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF PAUIS. 



April 20. — IVT LIONVILLE sent a fresh memoir On the physical 

 -*-'-■-• theory of electro-dynamic phaenomena. M. Robert 

 wrote from Marseilles, in answer to a letter of Dr. Berlan's to the Aca- 

 demy, that he had never attributed to himself the discovery claimedj and 

 that he well knew that it had been said before he observed it, that vac- 

 cinated persons have been sometimes subject to the small-pox. — M. 

 Wauner, M.D. deposited a sealed packet. — M. CagniartLaTour com- 

 municated the methods by which he crystallized silica. — M.Robiquet 

 presented a memoir, intitled, Essai Analytique dcs LichensdeVOrseille. 



The Academy proceeded, according to rule, to a scrutiny of the 

 balloting between MM. Becquerel and Pouillet. The number of 

 voters was 57; M. Becquerel had 29, and M. Pouillet 28 votes. — • 

 M. Cordier gave an account of the examination which he had made 

 with M. Beudant, of the precious stones presented by M. Le Gigand: 

 it a))peared that the stones in question were white topazes, and not 

 diamonds. — M. Desfontaines, in the name of a commission, gave a 

 favourable account of the work presented by M. Cambcssede on the 

 family of the Sapindacece. — M. Poisson read a memoir On the mean 

 results of observations. — M. Magtndie, in the name of a commission, 

 reported on a memoir of M. Leroy d'Etioles relating to Asphyxia. 

 M. Leroy stated, that by strongly forcing atmospheric air into the 

 trachea of certain animals, such as hares, goats, sheep, foxes, &c. 

 they were immediately killed. Other animals, dogs for example, in 

 which the pulmonary tissue is less delicate, resist this operation ; but 

 they are more or less incommoded by it. Goats and sheep were 

 immediately killed in the presence of the commissioners, by once 

 blowing air into their lungs, without the use of any machine, and 

 simply by the mouth of the experimenter. It appears, generally, 

 that the air blown in, tears the superior part of the delicate tissue of 

 the lung. Inflation being recommended as an efficacious method of 

 restoring drowned persons, it is extremely important to ascertain 

 whether the lungs of man should be classed with those of the sheep, 

 goat, &c. or whether they are capable of resistance similar to that of 

 the lungs of dogs, &c. : it is conceived, that in the first case, inflation 

 efl^'ccted without great care, m.ay become a mortal agent. On this 

 subject, direct experiments are wanting : but experiments made on 

 the dead subject showed that the lungs of man are capable of being 

 torn by inflation ; on the contrary, the lungs of very young children 

 resisted the action of very strong inflation. 



April 27. — Manuscripts presented : — Traltato sul Ochio uniano, by 

 Dr. Rivelli; — Ordonnance of the king confirming the nomination of 

 M. Olbers as an associate ; — Protest of M. Le Gigand against the 

 reportofM. Cordier ; — Letter from M. Julia Foiitenelle, containing two 

 facts, from which it appears to result, agreeably to the experiments 

 mentioned in the last sitting, that the lungs of cliildren resist in- 

 flation better than those of adults ;— A letter from M. Domct-Dcmont 

 on the lithographic stones of Jura. 



'ihc 



