VERTEBRATED ANIMALS. 



75 



attention, and several philosophers made experiments on 

 their own persons with a view of testing and explaining 

 such a singular phenomenon. Of these experiments, 

 probably the most accurate and decisive, and certainly 

 the most famous, were those of Sir Charles Blagden and 

 Dr. Fordyce. The room where these celebrated experi- 

 ments were made, was heated by flues, there being neither 

 chimney nor any other aperture where the heat might 

 escape. 



209. In the first experiment, Sir Charles went in, with 

 wooden shoes on his feet, the heat being a little above 

 that of boiling water. The first impression is described 

 as exceedingly disagreeable, but in a few minutes all this 

 uneasiness was removed by the breaking forth of a pro- 

 fuse perspiration. Having stayed twelve minutes, he came 

 out with a sense of fatigue, but nothing more, the ther- 

 mometer then standing at 220. 



210. It was afterward found that the temperature of 

 260 could be endured for a short time, without much diffi- 

 culty. But the most curious part of these experiments 

 were the sensations produced by touching their own 

 persons on some vital part, or touching each other, and 

 also objects in the room. Every piece of metal about 

 their persons, as their watch chains, became intolerably 

 hot; small quantities of water placed in metallic ves- 

 sels, boiled in a few minutes. Though the air of the 

 room was 260, it could be taken into the lungs with 

 impunity, but the boiling water in which the thermome- 

 ter indicated only 212 scalded the finger as usual. 

 Eggs and beef-steak suspended in wire nets, were com- 

 pletely done in from five to fifteen minutes, and still the 

 gentlemen were able to remain in the room. But not- 

 withstanding dead matter became heated to the tempera- 

 ture of the air, as was expected, the persons of the gen- 

 tlemen never rose higher than about 101, or at most 

 102, as indicated by the thermometer, with the bulb 

 placed on the tongue, or under the arm. 



211. The hands being at a distance from the vital parts, 

 were heated to a much higher degree, so that when the 



What were the degrees of heat to which Sir C. Blagden and Dr. For- 

 dyce exposed themselves? 



