726 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I79O. 



the bottom of the phial was manifestly increased, though its progress was very 

 slow. The water, by the dissolution of a part of the veal, had now acquired 

 the consistence of a thin mucus, its brown colour was somewhat deepened, and 

 it emitted a highly fetid smell. A little nitrated silver being dropped into a por- 

 tion of this water, previously filtered, a dark brown precipitate was immediately 

 produced. Lime-water, mixed with another portion of it, occasioned an ash- 

 coloured precipitate ; and when concentrated nitrous acid was added to a 3d 

 portion, the fetid smell was destroyed, a slight effervescence took place, and a 

 yellow flaky matter was disengaged. At the end of 7 weeks, a quantity of air, 

 amounting to 2 J- dram measures was collected in the phial. This air had a fetid 

 odour. Being agitated with water^ -^ of it was absorbed. The residue extin- 

 guished flame. 



Dr. C. next examined the air extricated from veal suffered to putrefy over 

 mercury. 



On July 28, 1789j ^ drams and 24 grains of the lean of fresh veal was intro- 

 duced into a narrow jar, filled with mercury, and inverted over that fluid. At 

 the end of 8 days the air, which was slowly extricated, had communicated a 

 brown colour to the surface of the mercury. On Sept. 1 3, the quantity of air 

 disengaged was a little more than 2 ounce measures. This fluid had a very fetid 

 smell. Two separate portions of distilled water being saturated with it, the first, 

 on the addition of nitrated silver, deposited a brown precipitate; and the last, 

 when it was mixed with lime-water, produced a brownish ash-coloured cloud. 

 A 3d portion of the air being strongly agitated with distilled water, was reduced 

 to -jV of its original bulk. The residue extinguished flame. The veal which had 

 remained so long in contact with the mercury had not lost its firm texture. Its 

 smell was putrid, but not very offensive. 



The quantity of elastic fluid collected in this experiment was much greater than 

 in the preceding one; because in the preceding experiment, though the putrefac- 

 tion advanced more rapidly, yet the fixed and hepatic air were absorbed by the 

 water nearly as fast as they were disengaged from the putrid substance. Hence 

 it appears, that the aerial fluids, which are extricated from the mucular fibres of 

 animals by putrefaction, consist of fixed and animal hepatic, mixed with a very 

 small proportion of phlogisticated air.* 



Of the ejects produced by exposing fresh animal substances to atmospherical ^ 

 hepatic, and pure air. — Two tubes, of nearly the same size, were inverted over 

 mercury. Into one of these was introduced common air, and into the other an 

 equal bulk of hepatic air, obtained from liver of sulphur by the vitriolic acid. 

 Equal quantities of fresh veal, consisting of a mixture of muscular fibres and of 



* It may be proper to remark, that I have obtained, by distillation from the green leaves of a cab- 

 bage, an aerial fluid, which, in most of its properties, resembles animal hepatic air. — Orig. 



