362 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I729. 



of inspiration so far overbalances the action of exspiration, as to condense the 

 blood into a less bulk, than it had before its passage through the lungs. 



The accurate Santorini of Venice, in chap. 8, sect. 3, of his observations, 

 has carefully examined the fact as stated by Helvetius, and finding it true in 

 that one subject, as to the auricles and pulmonary vessels, but false as to the 

 ventricles, he proceeds to prove that this difference in the capacity of the pul- 

 monary vessels, could not be designed on account of the blood being condensed 

 in its passage through the lungs; because, if so, the right ventricle ought to 

 have been larger than the left, and the pulmonary artery ought, not only to 

 have been larger than the pulmonary veins, but it ought likewise to have been 

 larger than, or at least equal to, the two venae cava^; whereas in his subject, 

 the two venae cavae were to the pulmonary artery as 22S to 188. 



In the mean time, he recommends repeating the inquiry to other anato- 

 mists, as doubting whether the fact is constantly so in healthy subjects. 

 The first heart is of an adult in which 



the diam. 



Of the vena cava descendens 79 , 



pulmonary artery J 1 5 



superior left pulmonary vein 69 , 



inferior left pulmonary vein 73 



superior right pulmonary vein 49 



middle right pulmonary vein 40 



inferior right pulmonary vein 57 



aorta 110 



The ascending cava being tied above the diaphragm, could not be measured 

 in this subject. 



The second heart was that of a child nearly a year old. Its lungs appeared 

 perfectly sound, and of a pale clear colour; and therefore the more proper for 

 an examination of this kind. 



In this second heart, the diam. 



Of the aorta above the coronaries 43 . 



pulmonary artery 43 . 



superior left pulmonary vein 29 • 



inferior left pulmonary vein 



superior right pulmonary vein 26 . 



middle right pulmonary vein 1 7 . 



inferior right pulmonary vein 32 . 



We may here observe that the aorta, after giving off the coronary vessels, is 

 equal to the pulmonary artery. As to the proportion between the pulmonary 

 artery and veins, the artery in this subject is to the sum of all the veins here 



