342 Animal Heat. [Bcok IX', 



food containing fome portion of thefe principles. 

 This is particularly obvious with regard to the food of 

 carnivorous animals, and it is no lefs certain that grain 

 and even grafs contain the ingredients of oil and fpiri- 

 tuous liquors. Our food may therefore be confidered 

 as fuel, and animal heat as a gentle combuftion. Hence, 

 fuch perfons as eat and drink large quantities of in- 

 flammable fubftances, increafe the heat of their bodies 

 beyond the proper flandard, and in fcientific as well as 

 common language, may be faid to burn themfelves 

 up. This confideration may ferve to confirm the 

 eftablilhed practice of withholding from febrile pa- 

 tients the life of inflammable matters as food, and of 

 giving acids, the nature of which is directly oppofite. 

 Towards the end of fome fevers, however, particularly 

 typhus, when the heat finks below the proper flandard, 

 brandy and asther are found to be highly ufeful. 



In the Medical Extracts, in which there are fome 

 ingenious and new obfervations on this fubject, it is 

 mentioned that Dr. Withering wrote to Dr. Beddoes to 

 the following effect : The late Mr. Spalding, who 

 did fo much in improving and ufing the diving bell, 

 was a man of nice obfervation, and had he not fallen a 

 facrificeto the negligence of drunken attendants, would 

 have thrown much additional light upon more than 

 one branch of fcience. He particularly informed me 

 that when he had eaten animal food, or drank fermented 

 liquors, he confumed the air in the bell much fader 

 than when he lived upon vegetable food and drank 

 only water. Many repeated 3 trials had fo convinced 

 him of this, that he conftantly abftained from the. 

 former diet whilft engaged in diving. 



