££ •* THE AWIMAL FLUIDS. 



denied in some Granted— but these are minor considerations indeed to the 

 respects, acquirement of knowledge. When Dr. Marcet also speaks 



of the advantage in point of accuracy, I protest against it 

 for reasons above explained* It is farther represented, that 

 **. there is a degree of neatness gained by reducing the scale 

 of operations". I own 1 have difficulty to conceive a just 

 sense in which this term may be used on this occasion. 

 Does it mean the avoiding extraneous things occurring in 

 operations ? if so, I cannot separate it from accuracy ; and 

 as it is seldom practicable to operate without meeting with 

 some extraneous matter or dirt, it appears to me, that many 

 of those old chemists, who are reproached for mentioning 

 *' a little dirt in their results", are more accurate than those 

 modern chemists, who make up a " neat" tabular exhibition 

 of the constituents of substances in centesimal quantities, 

 ■which they have never weighed ; and even of which sub- 

 stances there is a palpable deficiency of proof. If by neat- 

 ness be meant the instruments employed, it would be as in- 

 judicious to prefer neatness to knowledge, as euphony of 

 style to perspicuity. 

 but admitted £ proud list is displayed of discoveries achieved by mi- 

 croscopic experiments, or on small masses of matter ; but 

 that was needless. I never disallowed the utility of such 

 experiments. My plain answer is this — that for certain 

 purposes ail the knowledge that is wanted is attainable, and 

 most easily, by operations on the small scale— that such is 

 the nature of our present instruments, that it is only practi- 

 cabletowork on small quantities of some kinds of matter— • 

 that on almost all occasions it is advantageous to commence 

 an intended perfect investigation with experiments on small 

 masses,, in order to enable the mind to invent subsequent 

 experiments, and perform decisive operations on larger 

 Superiority of quantities. As to the successful practices referred to, they 

 *^I'n>e ltS on 'y ^WP$ftfkf4*$f raacn W a y °e accomplished with inferior 

 scale. means; but it is demonstrable, that the same persons could 



have attained infinitely more by superior instruments, and 

 in the more favourable circumstances of adequate quanti- 

 ties. In chemistry, I consider illustration by examples to 

 be superfluous. Physic furnishes new illustrations analo- 

 gous to the questions, under discussion. Sydenham, with- 

 out 



