DRY ROT. 805 



blood " a wound," or the worms that consume 

 the body " death." Why come the fungi there ? 

 There was a time when dry rot was unknown ;. 

 and as long as the beams of houses were of good 

 oak, or chesnut, or red pine from the north of 

 Europe, there was no information laid against 

 serpula. Besides, there never appeared a single 

 fungus of any species upon or near the piece of 

 oak in the experiment, and yet it passed from 

 what may be regarded as the best state that it 

 could be in for duration, to absolute uselessness, 

 in so short a time, that if a ship were to decay as 

 fast, the whole freight that could be obtained 

 would not pay for the trenails. How is the same 

 dry rot to be got rid of ? " Oh, wash the tim- 

 bers with sulphate of iron, arid other saline solu- 

 tions, and let the ship, or the house, as it may 

 be, be well ventilated." The old story. " Call 

 in the doctor, apply a lotion, and exhibit a bolus," 

 under which the diseased have continued to die 

 ever since medicine was a science. Are ships 

 kept less clean now, than they were before the 

 dry rot was heard of? or are they or houses worse 

 ventilated ? Truly not. If there be any differ- 

 ence, the ships must be kept sweeter, else the 

 chlorides, and other powerful fumigations, have 

 been invented and applied to little purpose. The 

 crews certainly keep their health better than they 

 did formerly ; and it would be somewhat won- 

 derful, if air which were more wholesome for hu- 

 man beings, should be more deadly for oak tim- 

 ber! As for the houses again; there are certainly 

 more under-ground apartments than there were 

 once, and possibly more than it is wise to have. 

 It may happen, too, that the tax upon windows 

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