•230 
Ordinary Meeting, April 3rd, 1860. 
Wm. Fairbairn, Esq., F.R.S., &c.. President, in the Chair. 
Messrs. D. Chadwick and J. Atkinson were appointed 
Auditors of the Treasurer’s accounts. 
Dr. F. Crace Calvert stated that he had been induced 
some eighteen months ago, by Mr. J. A. Ransome, to make 
some researches with the view of ascertaining the nature of 
the products given off from sloughing wounds, and more 
especially in the hope of throwing some light on the nature 
of the contagion known as hospital gangrene. He had, 
therefore, fitted up some apparatus to condense the various 
products given off from such wounds, but the quantity 
obtained was so small, that he deemed it advisable to collect 
the products given off from a large quantity of meat during 
putrefaction ; and he had found these to be quite of a different 
nature from what has been hitherto generally supposed. For 
instance, he found that no sulphuretted nor phosphoretted 
hydrogen was given off, but, on the contrary, alcaloids 
containing the sulphur and the phosphorus. He further 
added that he had great hopes in time to be able to discover 
the nature of the products called miasms. He also stated 
that he was now engaged in examining the liquids and solids 
produced during putrefaction, and would at some future time 
lay the results obtained before the Society. 
Proceedings — Lit. & Phil. Society — No. 13. — Session, 1859-60. 
