42 



ON THE ANIMAL FLUIDS. 



at a loss to understand my meaning, and is much embarrassed 

 by my obscure and inaccurate manner of writing. I am 

 grieved, that my learned friend should experience these dif- 

 ficulties ; but as I have not heard similar complaints from 

 others, I may perhaps not indecorously venture to say, that 

 1 suspect his claim to judgment of propriety and perspi- 

 cuity in English is somewhat doubtful. 

 Whether sub- My ingenious Opponent cannot agree with me, that sub- 

 nwHxTdis-* stances and properties of substances are discoverable by 

 tiogukhable operating upon large masses, which cannot be effected with 

 oraiimaU. 1 ' smaller quantities. I really thought the proposition so ob- 

 viously true, that illustration was needless. Heaps of illu- 

 strative examples in nature occur to my mind, while I am 

 writing, both in the department of chemistry and physi- 

 ology. If arsenous acid, muriate of soda, or sulphuric 

 acid, be dissolved in the proportion of one part to 100 equal 

 parts of water, they will be discoverable by well known re- 

 agents ; but if the proportion of water be increased more 

 and more, the indication of their presence will become less 

 and less distinct, and at last they will be no longer perceiv- 

 able, although it is known they exist: or if 1 take certain 

 fractional designated parts of any given weight of these sub- 

 stances, they will elude manifestation by any means hitherto 

 known. On this principle of division and diffusion the 

 most deleterious poisons become innoxious by the minute- 

 ness of the quantity applied to the human constitution. 

 Hence atmospheric air containing fen miasmata, plague 

 contagion, or small pox matter, are applied with impunity. 

 A pound of blood of a glandered horse transfused into a 

 healthful horse will not excite disease, but as much blood 

 as can be transfused from two glandered horses into one 

 horse will excite the disease of glanders. Sugar, alkali*, 

 &c. may exist in the blood, but not be discoverable by any 

 known reagent on account of the small proportion of them 

 existing in the blood at any given time, as I humbly reason, 



* la Dr. Hollo's work on diabetes I have related an experiment, in 

 which potash was taken in such quantity, that the urine became sp 

 impregnated as to afford a precipitate of super-tartrate with tartaric 

 •♦•id, at the same time the blood did not indicate a trace of alkali ; 

 «w ; .ug, as I concluded, to the small proportion of alkali to the blood. 



and 



