Hie INTRODUCTION. 
been more careful, in the firfl: Place to gee 
what Infight they could into the Matter, 
as far as a regular Series of proper Experi- 
ments would have informed them, they 
would then doubtlefi have been furniflied, 
with more and more proper T)ata whereon 
to found their Calculations, which would 
have brought them much nearer to the 
Truth. 
5. Finding therefore but little Satisfaftion, 
in what had been attempted on this Sub- 
jed* by Borellus and others, I endeavoured 
about twenty-five Years fince by proper 
Experiments, to find what was the real 
Force of the Blood in the crural Arteries 
of Dogs, and about fix Years afterwards 
I repeated the like Experiments on two Horfes, 
and a fallow Doe 5 but did then not purfue 
the Matter any further, being difeouraged 
by the difagreeablenefs of anatomical Di(- 
fedions. But having of late Years found 
by Experience the Advantage of making 
ufe of the Statical Way of Inveftigation, 
not only in our Refearches into the Nature 
of Vegetables, but alfo in the chymical Ana- 
lyfis of the Air 5 I was hence induced to 
hope for fome Succefs, if the fame Me- 
thod of Enquiry were applied to animal 
Bodies^ 
