-94 Mayow 



certain elastic particles and in consequence undergoes 

 contraction. 



Further, I attempted to show that the elastic force 

 of inspired air is diminished because the nitro-aerial 

 particles which are extremely subtle and nimble are 

 extracted and in a sense struck out from the aerial 

 particles. But let us now investigate how this is 

 done. 



In regard to this point I for some time suspected 

 that nitro-aerial and elastic particles are struck out 

 from the aerial particles by the special structure of the 

 lungs. But on more full consideration of the matter I 

 prefer the view that aerial particles enter the mass of 

 the blood and are there deprived of their nitro-aerial 

 particles, and in consequence partly lose their elastic 

 force, a view which is confirmed by the following 

 experiment. 



Thus let a rod equal in length to the diameter of a 

 glass bell-jar at its widest part be put inside it, and 

 placed transversely and drawn downwards till both 

 ends of the rod lean upon the sides of the glass and 

 are supported by them, as is shown in Plate V., Fig. 4. 

 Next let an earthenware vessel, glazed inside and 

 capable of holding about four fluid ounces, be hung 

 from the transverse rod by an iron hook attached 

 to it, and let it be about half-filled with spirit of 

 nitre. Further, let some small pieces of iron, tied 

 together into a bundle and suspended by means of a 

 string from the rod, be made to hang directly over the 

 vessel (the string moreover ought to be of such a 

 length that its other end may reach to the mouth of 

 the glass and hang outside, in the manner shown in the 

 figure). These arrangements made, the mouth of the 

 inverted bell-jar should be sunk in the water about 

 iive finger-breadths, yet so that the water within the 



