C 39° ] 
even before It is let out of the vein. Now I am 
perfuaded from experiment, that the contrary of 
this is true ; or that inflammation, inftead of increa- 
frng the dilpofition of the blood to coagulate, really 
lefiens it; and inftead of thickening the blood, really 
thins it ; at leaft, that part which forms the cruft, 
viz. the coagulable lymph. 
In the firft place, that inflammation really leffens 
the difpofition to coagulate, will appear evident to 
every one who attends to the jellying of fuch blood 
as has a cruft. For in all thofe cafes the blood will 
be found to be longer in congealing, than it is com- 
monly. To this opinion, 1 was firft led by attend- 
ing to the phthifical patient’s blood above-mentioned ; 
but I have fince made a comparifon, which feems 
to prove the fadt. For, from a variety of experi- 
ments made on the blood of perfons nearly in health, 
or at leaft who had no inflammatory complaints, 
and no cruft on their blood, I found that the blood, 
after being taken from a vein, began to jelly 
In about three minutes and an half. The firft ap- 
pearance of coagulation is a thin film on the fur- 
face near the air-bubbles, or near the edge of the 
bafon ; this film fpreads over the furface, and thickens 
gradually till the whole is jellied, which is in about 
feven minutes after the opening of the vein; and 
in about ten or eleven the whole is fo firm, that, if 
the cake be cut, the gafhes are immediately filled 
up by the feru?n, which now begins to feparate from 
the crajj amentum. But in thofe perfons whole 
blood has an inflammatory cruft, the coagulation is 
much later ; and in general, I believe, is lateft in 
5 
thofe 
