]Q^ ON THE EFFECTS OF HEAT. 



Nitrogen ex- I will odd one more extract from Dr. Higgins's work, 

 pdledfiom the ^hich is remarkable, as it confirms tlie results of the ex- 

 piration. * periraents of Messrs. Allen and Pepys, in the respiration of 

 oxigen ', and the conclusions which they have drawn from 

 them. Aftev describing the method whieh he employed to 

 respire the gas, &:c.; he adds, '* I do not hesitate in con-^ 

 *' cludin^;-, that the former (azote) was expelled from the 

 ♦' lungs during the respiration, along with the matter, 

 " which contributed to the formation of the fixable air.'' 



I am sorry that it is not in iny power to digest this paper into 

 a more intelligible form : butjt is not more than ten days since 1 

 met with Dr. Higgins's book ; und it will be a considerable 

 time before I shall have leisure to resume the subject. It 

 has extended to a much greater length, than I at first in- 

 tended : I am however conscious, that much more remains 

 to be said, and many objections to be answered ; but 1 am 

 rjot aware of any, which may not receive a satisfactory an-* 

 swcr, according to the principles already li^id dowp. The 

 importance of the subject xoust be my apology, for sending 

 it in this unfinished state; and if it should be the means of 

 drawing the attention of some able chemist to Dr. Higgins's 

 work, and even iu' this remote way contribute to the im-^ 

 provement of the science, my intentipn will be fujly 

 answered, 



I am, sir, 

 Your obliged and constant reader, 



L. O. C, 



Coagulation P. S. It may be thought, that the coagulation of albu-^ 



p - umen. ^^pj^ Y^y jjpjj^ jg inconsistent with the foregoing theory. To 

 satisfy myself of what actually does take place, during its 

 coagulation, 1 poured into a glass tube a certain portion of 

 the white of an egg, (which is albumen as pure as it can be 

 procured,) and with a diamond marked the height to which 

 it rose in the tube. The tube with its contents was now 

 plunged into warm wat^r, and the whole apparatus set upon 

 the fire. As soon as the albumen was heated only a few 

 degrees, I could observe bubbles of gas separating from it 

 very abundantly; and before it had beguq to coagulate, 

 '\t had assumed the sparkling appearance of water impreg^ 



nate4 



