186 Foreign Literature, and Science. 



ume of the lungs of a child. 6th. This increase of the 

 cells is so regular, that in general the age of the individual 

 may be assigned very nearly by inspection of the lungs. 

 Disease, however, nnodifies the dimensions of the cells. 

 Those who have coughed much before death, have them 

 generally larger. 7th. If in individuals of advanced age, 

 we find one side of the lungs diseased, the healthy lobe, in- 

 flated and dried, resembles a light foam. 8th. Old people 

 accordingly consume less oxygen, have less animal heat, 

 and are less able to resist cold than the young. 9th. The 

 first indications of Phthisis of the most common or tubercu- 

 lous kind consists in the deposition a greyish yellow mat- 

 ter in one or more of the cells of the lungs. This matter is 

 sometimes moveable, and may probably be expelled, but it 

 frequently increases, adheres to the small vessels, gradually 

 obliterates them, and the whole lobe becomes tuberculous, 

 or formed of this greyish yellow matter. 10th. Numerous as 

 have been the bodies of Phthisical patients, which Dr. Ma- 

 gendie has opened, he has never seen In the cells, those little 

 pearly grains, which, according to certain authors, are the 

 first germs of Phthisis, but on the contrary, the matter 

 which first forms is that which has been named tubercu- 

 lous, and this matter has the appearance of being a 

 secretion by the parieties of the small pulmonary blood ves- 

 sels. 11th. Admitting this to be true, the commencement 

 of Phthisis is only an alteration in the habitual secretion of 

 the vascular tissue of the lungs, and this is one of the rea- 

 sons which induced the author to employ sedatives, and 

 particularly the hydro-cyanic-acid in the treatment of the 

 two first stages of Phihisis. He has ever since had occasion 

 to congratulate himself on this practice. 



26. J^ezo method of taking a facsimile, by Cadet de Gas- 

 sicourt. — Paste a piece of white paper on the inside bottom 

 of a porcelain plate; — write upon this paper with common 

 ink, and before it is dry, sprinkle upon it very fine powder 

 of gum-arabic, which will form a slight relief. When the 

 ink is dry, brush off very lightly the superfluous powder, 

 and pour into the plate a melted compound of eight parts of 

 Bismuth, seven of lead, and three of tin, which is fusible at 

 the boiling temperature. Cool it rapidly to prevent crys- 

 talization. A counter impression of the writing is thus ob- 



