or the pretended Phenomenon of Incombustibility. 51 



which I made : with some of them I attempted to rub my 

 skin, which, after the liquids dried, was always sensible in 

 the same degree to the action of the fire. 



The unfortunate result of my first experiments did not 

 discourage me ; persuaded that by the effect of only one 

 rubbings it was not possible to change the skin in such a 

 manner as to render it insensible to the action of fire. I 

 therefore repeated oftener on the same part the frictions 

 with the same substance, and perceived the effect, that it 

 gradually became less and less sensible to the action of ca- 

 loric. On one part of my body I repeated the frictions so 

 often with dilute (alhtngato) sulphurous acid, that I was 

 finally able to pass a plate of red-hot iron over it without 

 any injury. T afterwards discovered that dilute sulphuric, 

 nitric, and muriatic acids would equally produce the same 

 effect: but the sulphurous acid is preferable to all the others, 

 as it produces the speediest and most certain effect. I 

 next tried the action of acidulous sulphat of alumine and 

 potash, or the alum of commerce, a substance distinguished 

 for its property of preserving bodies from the action of fire. 

 In making a saturated solution of this sail, I discovered how 

 much greater styptic powers it had acquired by being strongly 

 agitated or boiled {bollirte sulla spugna*). With the fluid 

 thus prepared, I rubbed one part of my arm several times, 

 and did not before obtain such decided results; so that I 

 have ever since used this solution. 



These essays, however, were only the rudiments of a know- 

 ledge. of the phenomenon, the examination of which was 

 still incomplete. An accidental combination afterwards in- 

 duced me to undertake a new series of experiments, by 

 which I might be enabled to give a more clear explanation, 

 of all the more difficult operations executed by Lionetto. 

 Wishing to examine if washing the almost incombustible 

 part would make it lose the quality it had acquired, I rub- 

 bed it with hard' soap, washed and dried it with a cloth, 

 and applied the same plate of red-hot iron. I then dis- 

 covered, to my surprise, that the skin of that part not only 



* Does the author mean burnt alum, i. e. alum boiled per se on an iron 

 shovel without water ? 



D 2 preserved 



