202 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[September 1, 189G. 



clockwork was started ; the combined movements of the 

 drum anil the rising bell-jar giving a diagonal tracing 

 or curve on the paper, showing exactly the rate at which 

 the air was expelled from the lungs. The kindness of l)r. 

 Marcet enables us to reproduce one of the charts, and a 

 reference to it will enable the reader to understand the 

 nature of the experiment better than any amount of 

 explanation. 'i'he bottom curve A A shows normal 

 breathing with the body in repose ; the next curve shows 

 the working of the lungs under forced breathing — i.e., 

 when taking scries of deep breaths intentionally— and the 

 after-effect when the person returns to natural breathing ; 

 the top curve shows the ciVcct of exercise on the breathing. 

 In the bottom tracing it will be noticed that the curve 

 is practically a straight line, showiut,' that about three and 

 a half litres per minute were taken into the lungs regularly. 

 In the middle curve two and a half times as much air was 

 taken into the lungs as in natural breathing ; after this 

 follows a short " pause," which is more marked in some 

 of the other charts, then an increase above the normal, 

 followed by a return to natural breathing. Sneezing, 

 sighing, and yawning may all be considered as different 

 forms of forced breathing. 



The experiments on breathing whilst under exercise 

 were carried out by " marking time " in military fashion — 

 raising the feet a given distance off the ground, keeping 

 time to a metronome, so that the work done could be 

 measured approximately. The tracings obtained whilst 

 breathing under exercise differ considerably from those 

 illustrating forced respiration, especially on the return 

 to natural breathing. During exercise the respirations, 

 though deeper than the normal, are less deep than 

 in forced breathing, and immediately on sitting down 

 the line continues its upward tendency, showing no 

 pause as in forced breathing ; then returning parallel 

 to the normal. In talking, singing, reading, and 

 coughing, the respiration assumes the form of breathing 

 under exercise ; but in talking and reading, where 

 the strain on the lungs is very feeble, the tracing 

 returns parallel to the normal almost immediately after 

 the exercise has come to an end. A similar remark 

 applies to singing : a practised singer will never become 

 breathless after singing, hence the curve in such cases 

 will return immediately parallel with the normal. In 

 singing, however, a marked difference was observed in the 

 breathing when standing and when sitting. The tracing 

 obtained in the latter position resembles the " forced 

 breathing" curve almost exactly, which is not the case 

 when standing, so that the erect position is the correct 

 one for singing. 



Another fact of interest to athletes and people who 

 run for their trains was demonstrated. It was found 

 that if on sitting down after "stepping exercise" one 

 or two deep breaths were taken immediately, the breath- 

 lessness passed away at once, because the carbonic 

 acid accumulated in the blood was thus got rid of. 

 It follows from this observation that in case of extreme 

 breathlessness, as would occur after running for a train, 

 •great relief would be experienced from taking a few deep 

 breaths. 



Some novel experiments were made by Dr. Marcet on 

 the effect of the exercise of the will on respiration. The 

 person under experiment sat down in a chair, and imagined 

 himself to be engaged in some form of physical exercise, 

 such as running after somebody up a hill or rowing against 

 the tide. Whilst his imagination was at work the air 

 from his lungs was collected and the recording instrument 

 set going. The tracing obtained was not that of natural 

 breathing, but resembled the "forced breathing" curve, 



followed by the same pause that is always observed after 

 forced breathing. It must be remembered that the 

 breathing was not forced intentionally, and after a long 

 series of experiments Dr. Marcet has come to the con- 

 clusion that an increased supply of oxygen is actually 

 needed by the brain centres that are at work. This 

 would take too long and is too technical a matter 

 for us to go into here, but full particulars will be 

 found in the third of the Croonian lectures, published 

 in the Lancet and Britisk Mfdicid .hnmud for IKD-T. The 

 question will be considered also in vxtcnso in a book by 

 Dr. Marcet now in the press. 



THE REV. FRANCIS WOLLASTON, AMATEUR 

 ASTRONOMER. 



By W. T. Lynn, B.A., F.K.A.S. 



THE Kev. Francis Wollaston was for nearly half a 

 century rector of Chislehurst, in Kent, where he 

 made a considerable number of useful astronomical 

 observations. It is an interesting circumstance that 

 the list of Fellows of the Royal Society in 1815 and 

 a few previous years includes the names of this astro- 

 nomical amateur and of three of his sons ; one of the 

 latter the celebrated chemist, and another the Rev. F. J. H. 

 Wollaston, for some years Professor of Natural Philosophy 

 at Cambridge, and afterwards Archdeacon of Essex, and 

 vicar of South Weald, in that county. Francis Wollaston 

 was born on the 2Brd of November, 1731. He was the 

 eldest son of Francis Wollaston, of Charterhouse Square, 

 and grandson of William Wollaston, the author of that 

 well-known work, " The Religion of Nature Delineated." 

 Young Francis was sent to Sidney Sussex College, Cam- 

 bridge, in the month of June, 1748, and two years after- 

 wards was admitted to Lincoln's Inn with a view to entering 

 on a legal career ; but conceiving a distaste for it, because 

 he saw that barristers took any side for their clients, 

 whether right or wrong, he returned to Cambridge, 

 graduated LL.B. (since it was too late to take a degree 

 in arts in the regular course), and entered into orders, 

 being ordained deacon in 1755 and priest in 1756. In 

 the latter year he returned to his father's house, and under- 

 took the Sunday morning preaching at St. Ann's, Soho, 

 for Dr. Squire, afterwards Bishop of St. David's. In the 

 summer he married Miss Althea Hyde, fifth daughter of 

 Mr. .John Hyde, of Charterhouse Square, soon after which 

 he was instituted to the rectory of Dengey, in Essex. In 

 17G3 he obtained the living of East Dereham, in Norfolk 

 (where William Hyde, his second son, was born in 1766), 

 which he held until 1769, when he was collated to the rectory 

 of Chislehurst, in Kent, where he remained until his death 

 forty-six years afterwards, zealously discharging all the 

 duties of a parish clergyman amongst a small country popu- 

 lation. The liberality of his mind towards those who difi'cred 

 in doctrinal views led him to take rather a prominent part in 

 an agitation respecting relief in the matter of subscription 

 to the Articles, which caused him to be unjustly suspected 

 of a tendency to Socinianism. In consequence of this, and 

 the abortiveness of the attempt about subscription, he 

 determined to enter no more into controversial matters, 

 but devote his leisure to the study of astronomy. His 

 earliest recorded astronomical observations were, I believe, 

 those of occultations and other phenomena made in 1776, 

 and published with later ones in the Phihtsoplucnl Truns- 

 actions for 17SJ-. In the following year he contributed a 

 I paper (read April 7th, 1785) to the Royal Society on " A 



