CON 



CON 



the same writer, who has given an arti- 

 cle of great interest on this subject, in- 

 fers that all pestilence is propagated by 

 near approach to, or actual contact of, the 

 disease, or by the conveyance of the 

 contagious poison in articles impregnat- 

 ed with it. This noxious matter is in 

 many cases readily distinguished by the 

 peculiarly disagreeable smell which it 

 communicates to the air. No doubt this 

 matter differs according to the diseases 

 which it communicates, and the sub- 

 stance from which it has originated. Mor- 

 veau lately attempted to ascertain its 

 nature; but he soon found the 'chemical 

 tests hitherto discovered altogether in- 

 sufficient for that purpose. He has put 

 it beyond a doubt, however, that the nox- 

 ious matter which rises from putrid bo- 

 dies is of a compound nature ; and that it 

 is destroyed altogether by certain agents, 

 particularly by those gaseous bodies 

 which readily part with their oxygen. 

 He exposed air infected by putrid bodies 

 to the action of various substances ; and 

 he judged of the result by the effect 

 Which these bodies had in destroying the 

 fetid smell of the air. The following is 

 the result of his experiments : odorous 

 bodies, such as benzoin, aromatic plants, 

 &c. have no effect whatever: neither 

 have the solutions of myrrh, benzoin, &.C. 

 in alcohol, though agitated in infected air. 

 Pyrolignous acid is equally inert. Gun- 

 powder, when fired in infected air, dis- 

 places a portion of it ; but what remains 

 still retains its fetid odour. Sulphuric 

 acid has no effect ; sulphurous acid weak- 

 ens the odour, but does not destroy it. 

 Vinegar diminishes the odour, but its ac- 

 tion is slow and incomplete. Acetic acid 

 acts instantly, and destroys the fetid 

 odour of infected air completely. The 

 fumes of nitric acid, first employed by 

 Dr. Carmichael Smith, are equally effica- 

 cious. Muriatic acid gas, first pointed out 

 as a proper agent by Morveau himself, is 

 equally ineffectual. But the most pow- 

 erful agent is oxymuriatic acid gas, first 

 proposed by Mr. Cruickshanks, and now 

 employed with the greatest success in the 

 British navy and military hospitals. , 



We shall observe that these gases are 

 readily procured. Nitre, or, as it is call- 

 ed in the new chemistry, nitrate of pot- 

 ash, mixed with sulphuric acid, yields a 

 very powerful gas, the acid combining 

 with the potash, the base of the nitre, 

 expels the nitrous acid gas in fumes. 

 Muriatic acid gas is obtained in a similar 

 manner by using common salt, the alkali 

 combines with the acid, and the muriatic 

 gas goes off in vapour. Prevention be- 



ing, however, much better than the 

 means of cure, we shall give some rules 

 for the management of persons sick with 

 contagious diseases. Cleanliness is es- 

 sentially necessary : the chamber door 

 should ever be kept open, and the win- 

 dows as much as possible in the day ; the 

 bed curtains should not be drawn, e*rept 

 to ward off" the direct light from the 

 window : dirty clothes, utensils, &c. 

 should be frequently changed, and wash- 

 ed very clean : all discharges from the 

 patient should be instantly removed : 

 visitors and attendants should avoid the 

 patient's breath, and the vapour from 

 his body, and from all evacuations ; they 

 should never go into an infected chamber 

 with an empty stomach, and on coming 

 from it they should blow their nose and 

 expectorate freely. 



During the prevalance of a contagious 

 epidemic, great care should be taken to 

 avoid all causes of debility, and to pre- 

 serve an equal state of mind. The gene- 

 ral alarm which prevails on such occa- 

 sions contributes, not a little, to extend 

 the evil. 



CONTENT, in geometry, the area or 

 quantity of matter or space included in 

 certain bounds. 



The content of a tun of round timber 

 is 43 solid feet. A load of hewn timber 

 contains 50 cubic feet ; in a foot of tim- 

 ber are contained 1728 cubic or square 

 inches ; and as often as 1728 inches are 

 contained in a piece of timber, be it 

 round or square, so many feet of timber 

 are contained in the piece. For the con- 

 tents of cylindrical vessels, and vessels of 

 other figures, see GUAGIXG. 



CONTIGUOUS angles,\n geometry, are 

 such as have one leg common to each an- 

 gle, and are sometimes called adjoining 

 angles, in contradistinction to those pro- 

 duced by continuing their legs through 

 the point of contact, which are called op- 

 posite or vertical angles. The sum of any 

 two contiguous angles is always equal to 

 two right angles. 



CONTINENT, in geography, a great 

 extent of land not interrupted by seas, 

 in contradistinction to island, peninsula, 

 &c. 



According to what relations we have 

 of the disposition of the globe from late 

 navigators, we may count four continents, 

 of which there are but two well known 

 The first, called the ancient continent, 

 comprehends Europe, Asia and Africa. 

 The second is the new continent, called 

 America. The third, which is called the 

 northern or arctic continent, compre- 

 hends Greenland, the lands of Spitzberg, 



