10 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1672. 



was not only very sensible to him, but also more tedious than that of the other 

 day; for this lived 5 or 6 minutes after his wound. Another having been 

 served in the same manner with another head, died within a quarter of an 

 hour. 



All this appearing as yet to the doctor, to exclude but little the doctrine of 

 spirits, which now began to lose ground after so many experiments of dead 

 vipers heads ; he took three stalks out of a broom, and having smoothed them 

 and sharpened them at the ends after the manner of a lancet, he drew from the 

 gums of several heads enough of that yellow juice to daub two of those stalks; 

 which, being thus moistened with that liquor, were both put into Ihe breasts of 

 two pigeons, and there left ; the like having been done to another with the 3d 

 stalk not covered with that juice, which was at least one third part larger and 

 longer than the other two. In a word, the first two died within 4 or 5 minutes, 

 and the last continues to this very day in Signor Magalotti's pigeon-house as 

 brisk and as fat as ever ; his wound in his breast, instead of having caused an 

 inflammation, is now almost perfectly healed. 



Whilst these experiments were making, it came into the heads of some to 

 try another, upon the relation that Signor Paolo dell' Ara (lately come from 

 Paris) had made; which was, that some asserted there, that, to swallow a 

 viper's heard was a most certain preservative and remedy against the biting of a 

 viper. Dr. Francini smiled at that fancy; but to give full satisfaction, he made 

 two experiments. The one was, by making the cock swallow a viper's head, 

 and then causing him to be well bitten in both thighs by a live one. But the 

 cock continuing some time before he gave any signs of sickness ; not to lose 

 time, he passed to the other experiment, by thrusting the teeth of a dead viper's 

 head into another pigeon, that had before got down one of those heads into his 

 belly. The conclusion was, that both died, the cock within a quarter of an 

 hour, and the pigeon in less than 4 minutes. 



The news of these experiments made many persons curious to see them per- 

 formed once more; so that, some few days after, a rendezvous was made in 

 Signor Magalotti's garden, where, besides the forenamed persons, met Mr. 

 Thomas Frederick, Mr. John Godscall, Abbot Strozzi, Signor Paolo Falconieri, 

 Signor Luigi del Riccio, Mons. Pelletier, Mons. Morelle, Dr. Gornia, Dr. 

 Bellini, Signor Lorenzo Lorenzini, and Signor Pietro Salvetti. 



The assembly having been first informed by Dr. Francini of the grounds of 

 this dispute and of the former observations, he began the same experiments by 

 causing 1 pigeons to be bit by a viper's head that had been dead above ten hours, 

 in such a manner that by pressing the gums some of that yellow liquor might 

 drop into the wound. They both died, one in 6 minutes, and the other in 8; 



