4^6 



PRO DUCTI O N 



Sect. XV. 4. i. 



As life whether animal or vegetable prevents putrefaa: 



as many fruits exift long, after they, are gathered from the tree, before 

 they become ripe and die fpontaneoufly, and in confcquence putrefy 



crabs, ilc^s, medlars, and auftere pear 



Th 



f prefe 



o 



thefe confifts in ftoring them, where the heat is neither much above 

 or below 48 degrees, which is the temperature of the interior parts of 

 the earth; that is, in a dry cellar, or beneath the foil, or well covered 

 with ftraw or mats in a dry chamber. As greater heat might make 

 them ripen fooner, than they are wanted, by the increafed adivity of 

 their vegetable life ; and froft by deftroying that life would fubjed 

 them to putrefy, when they become thawed;, as perpetually happens 

 to apples and potatoes, which are not well defended from froil:. And 

 laftly, the moifture would injure them many ways; firft by its c 

 tributing to deftroy their vegetable life; fecondly in promoting 

 chemical procefs of putrefadion ;. and thirdly by its encouraging th 



th 



r 



o w th 



f m 



or mould, which will grow 



to 



moift (it 



2;ht 



Too great warmth deftroys both animal and vegetable life by di^ 

 mulating their veffels into too great adivity for a time, whence a 

 fubfequent torpor from the too great previous expenditure of the liv- 

 ino- power, which terminates in death. After the death of the organi- 

 '7ation a boilins: heat coagulates the mucilaginous fluids, and if con- 



inued would 1 believe prevent the chemical fermentation of them ; 



r 



nd that thus both vegetable and animal fubflances might be preferv- 

 d. The experiment is difficult to try, and could not therefore be of 

 nuch pra^ical utility if it fliould fucceed. 

 Great cold on the contrary deftroys both animals and vegetables by 



the torpor occafioned by the defed 



f fl 



and 



a 



feq 



mporary 



c 



th. Afterwards if a great degree of cold be continued 

 the expanfion of their freezing juices may burft the 



to 



etable veflels, and thus render 



the life of them irrecovcrabl 



But 



th 



her curious thing happens to many aqueous fol 



I 



diffufion 





