67 



about another, inclined at any angle to the former ; and also a new, 

 and comparatively concise, demonstration of the equations of the 

 motion of rotation of a solid body, its centre of gravity being fixed, 

 and the body being acted on by any forces. 



The Society then adjourned over Whitsun-week to meet again on 

 the 14 th June next. 



June 14, 1838. 



His Royal Highness the DUKE of SUSSEX, K.G., President, 

 in the Chair. 



A paper was read, entitled, " Researches on Suppuration ; " by 

 George Gulliver, Esq., Assistant Surgeon to the Royal Regiment of 

 Horse Guards. Communicated by John Davy, M.D., F.R.S., As- 

 sistant Inspector of Army Hospitals. 



The author, in consequence of some theoretical views of the sup- 

 purative process, was led to undertake an examination of the blood 

 in the different forms of fever accompanying inflammation and sup- 

 puration ; and the result has been the detection of globules of pus 

 in that fluid in almost every instance where there had existed, du- 

 ring life, either suppuration, or great tumefaction of the external 

 parts without the presence of pus. The means by which he detect- 

 ed pus in the blood were partly chemical, and partly by the aid of 

 the microscope. Availing himself of the solvent power which water 

 exerts on the globules of the blood, while it has no action on those 

 of pus, he had merely to dilute the suspected blood sufiiciently with 

 water, by which means the red globules were made to disappear, 

 while those of pus remained at the bottom of the fluid, and were 

 easily recognised by a good microscope. A number of cases are de- 

 tailed, from which the general result, above stated, was deduced. 

 He considers that his experiments tend to establish the conclusion 

 that suppuration is a kind of proximate analysis of the blood. As 

 the fibrin separated from this fluid produces swelling of the part 

 affected, or is attracted to the contiguous tissue for the reparation of 

 the injury, the globules of the blood, altered by stagnation, become 

 useless, and are discharged as excrementitious matter from the sy- 

 stem. Such is the constitution of healthy pus : but when mixed 

 with broken down fibrin, it assumes the flaky and curdled appear- 

 ance, with proneness to putrefaction, characterising unhealthy pus, 

 and the presence of which in the blood is connected with fevers of 

 the inflammatory or typhoid form. 



A paper was also in part read, entitled, ** Researches on the 

 Tides," Ninth Series ; by the Rev. W. Whewell, M.A., F.R.S., 

 &c. 



