6 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1750. 



ment. Having tied down a dog, let the pectoral muscles be laid bare by dissect- 

 ing away the skin, especially from the upper part. Next let both the pectoral 

 muscles be removed, and let so much of the external intercostal muscles be cut 

 away, as shall suffice for observing the condition and action of the internal inter- 

 costals. It will be desirable to force the animal to breathe as strongly as possible f 

 which may be done either by puncturing one side of the thorax, so as to let in 

 the air (thus rendering one of the lungs useless) ; or, without puncturing the 

 thorax, by applying some spirit of wine to the wounded parts. In this state of 

 things, it will be seen, that in the act of inspiration, the spaces between the ribs 

 are diminished more than one-half; that the internal muscles are brought into 

 violent action ; that they swell and become hard ; that all the ribs ascend ex- 

 cept the first rib, which is scarcely moved ; that they all turn round an imaginar)' 

 point, which is in the cartilaginous appendix not far from the sternum ; that part 

 of the rib which is joined to the sternum descending, while the part which is re- 

 mote from it, ascends and is turned outwards. In expiration all the ribs descend, 

 with the exception again of the first rib, which is scarcely moved ; the spaces 

 between the ribs, during a violent expiration, are increased, and the internal 

 muscles remain inactive. 



In regard to the other question : let an animal (no matter whether dead * or 

 alive) be plunged under water, and let the pleura be perforated. If there be any 

 air, in an elastic state, between the pleura and lungs, bubbles will rise up through 

 the water. If no bubbles ascend, there is no air. Professor H. tried this expe- 

 riment repeatedly ; but no bubbles ever appeared. He therefore infers, that no 

 air is present, in an elastic state, between the pleura and the lungs. 



On the Knowledge of Geography among the Chinese; and of Paper-money cur- 

 rent there. By Father Anthony Gauhil, Jesuit. Translated from the French 

 by T. S., M. D., F. R. S. N° 494, p. 327. 



Father Gaubil received from M. de L'isle part of a map of the world, found 

 among the papers of the late Dr. Kaempfer. In this map were several Chinese 

 characters, some well, some ill written, which the late professor Bayer had at- 

 tempted to decypher. In his answer to M. de L'isle, Father G. informed him 

 that it was by no means a Chinese work ; that it could be of no service to a 

 learned European ; and that Mr. Bayer's explanations were full of faults. There 

 is no monument extant to prove, that before the arrival of the Jesuits in this 

 country, the Chinese had charts or maps of the world, any way resembling that 

 found among Kaempfer's writings. 



It is now above 1600 years since they tolerably well knew the northern and 



• Recently dead. 



