451 



April 30, 1857. 



The LORD WROTTESLEY, President, in the Chair. 

 The following communication was read: 



" Inquiries into the Quantity of Air inspired throughout the 

 Day and Night, and under the influence of Exercise, Food, 

 Medicine, Temperature, &c." By EDWARD SMITH, M.D., 

 LL.B., L.R.C.P., Assist. Physician to the Hospital for 

 Consumption and Diseases of the Chest, Brompton. Com- 

 municated by Dr. CARPENTER, F.R.S. Received March 

 19, 1857. 



(Abstract.) 



This communication consists of three parts, and contains the results 

 of 1200 series of observations. 



In the first part is contained the results of three investigations as 

 to the quantity of air breathed during the whole of the 24 hours, and 

 registered every 5, 1 5, and 30 minutes. The second part describes the 

 influence of posture, various kinds of exercise, physical agents, and 

 different articles of food and medicine, on the quantity of air breathed, 

 and on the frequency of the respiration and pulse. The third part is 

 devoted to certain inquiries in relation to the temperature of the body. 



The author was himself the subject of all the investigations. He is 

 thirty-eight years of age, six feet in height, healthy and strong, and 

 with a vital capacity of the lungs of 280 cubic inches. The instrument 

 employed was Glover's patent dry gas meter, of improved manufacture, 

 and arranged to register from 1 to 1,000,000 cub. ins. Its action was 

 reversed so as to measure inspiration. An ori -nasal mouth-piece was 

 employed, and it was connected with the spirometer by vulcanized 

 caoutchouc tubing, and could be fastened upon the head by elastic 

 straps. 



The determination of the quantity of air inspired in the 24 hours 

 was effected by three inquiries. 1st, by using the spirometer whilst 



