SIR c. BLAGDEN'S EXPERIMENTS. 357 



to the lungs, in consequence of which its temperature 

 becomes supportable, but also to the singular power 

 which the body possesses of resisting great heats, and of 

 breathing air of high temperatures. 



A series of curious experiments were made on this sub- 

 ject by M. Tillet, in France, and by Dr. Fordyce and Sir 

 Charles Blagden, in England. Sir Joseph Banks, Dr. 

 Solander, and Sir Charles Blagden, entered a room in 

 which the air had a temperature of 198 Fahr. and re- 

 mained ten minutes ; but as the thermometer sunk very 

 rapidly, they resolved to enter the room singly. Dr. 

 Solander went in alone, and found the heat 210. and Sir 

 Joseph entered when the heat was 211. Though exposed 

 to such an elevated temperature, their bodies preserved 

 their natural degree of heat. Whenever they breathed 

 upon a thermometer it sunk several degrees : every 

 expiration, particularly if strongly made, gave a pleasant 

 impression of coolness to their nostrils, and their cold 

 breath cooled their fingers whenever it reached them. On 

 touching his side, Sir Charles Blagden found it cold like 

 a corpse, and yet the heat of his body under his tongue 

 was 98. Hence they concluded that the human body 

 possesses the power of destroying a certain degree of 

 heat when communicated with a certain degree of 

 quickness. This power, however, varies greatly in differ- 

 ent media. The same person who experienced no incon- 

 venience from air heated to 211, could just bear rectified 

 spirits of wine at 130, cooling oil at 129, cooling water 

 at 123, and cooling quicksilver at 117. A familial- 

 instance of this occurred in the heated room. All the 

 pieces of metal there, even their watch-chains, felt so hot, 

 that they could scarcely bear to touch them for a moment, 

 while the air from which the metal had derived all its 

 heat was only unpleasant. MM. Duhamel and Tillet 

 observed at Rochefoucault in France, that the girls who were 



