58 PROPERTIES OF 



lating in those cases, but principally to its being thinned. 

 But, we may now add, that although the attenuation of the 

 lymph and its lessened tendency to coagulate are connected in 

 most of those cases, yet they do not always go together; for 

 the lymph may have its disposition to coagulate lessened with- 

 out being thinned; which was evident in the preceding case, 

 on comparing the blood in the second with that in the third 

 cup; for the blood in the second cup had no size, notwith- 

 standing it remained fluid at least ten minutes after the size 

 had begun to appear in the third : this I attribute to the blood 

 in the third being more attenuated, and thereby more readily 

 allowing the globules to subside. 



That the blood may have its disposition to coagulate lessened, 

 without being attenuated (xxix), is likewise probable from the 

 following cases. 



EXPERIMENT XXVIII. 



In the month of January I bled a man, who complained of 

 a pain in his head, attended with giddiness and shivering, a 

 pain and sickness at his stomach, and with a full and quick 

 pulse : the blood was found to remain fluid for ten minutes, and 

 then jellied, but no size appeared. 



,-r r-.r T *'-' 



EXPERIMENT XXIX. 



In another person, who was bled merely for a drowsiness, 

 and because he was accustomed to that evacuation in the spring, 

 I found the blood remain seven minutes without coagulating, 

 and yet it was without any size. 



Now, since in these cases the blood remained so long fluid, 

 and yet the red particles did not subside, or no size appeared, 

 I should conclude, that only the disposition of the lymph to 

 coagulate was lessened, without its being thinned. And from 



(xxix.) Mr. Hewson infers that the blood is not attenuated because the 

 corpuscles do not sink in it. But the rate with which the red corpuscles 

 sink in a fluid may give an incorrect idea of its density or consistency. 

 They may even not subside at all in blood artificially made thinner and 

 lighter, and its coagulation somewhat retarded. If it be admitted that 

 the sinking of the corpuscles, during the formation of the buiFy coat, 

 affords an accurate means of estimating the consistency of the liquor 

 sanguinis, it must also be admitted that it becomes thinner some mi- 

 nutes after it is taken from the animal, which is not at all probable. 

 See Note xxiu. 



