2,04  Dr.  white’s  Experiments 
“ the  air;  from  fome  experiments  it  appears,  that  they 
“ poflefs  rather  an  antifeptic  virtue.” 
We  know,  however,  by  fatal  experience,  that  both  ani- 
mal and  vegetable  fubltances,  when  in  a corrupted  ftate, 
are  the  obvious  fources  of  the  molt  dreadful  and  alarm- 
ing difeafes,  from  the  mildeft  putrid  fever  up  to  the  plague 
itfelf.  Sir  john  pringle  gives  us  an  inftance  of  the  jail 
or  hofpital-fever,  caufed  by  the  infection  of  a gangrened 
limb.  A dreadful  fever  was  caufed  at  Venice  by  a quan- 
tity of  corrupted  fifh ; and  at  Delft  by  putrid  cabbages 
and  other  vegetables.  Many  inftances  of  this  kind  may 
be  brought,  by  which  countries  have  been  almoft  depo- 
pulated. 
But  it  is  no  wonder  that  animal  and  vegetable  matter, 
when  in  a ftate  of  abfolute  corruption,  fhould  be  preg- 
nant with  fuch  dreadful  effects.  Inftindt  leads  us  to  fly 
from  the  danger  when  we  perceive  the  cadaverous  fmell. 
The  ninth,  tenth,  twelfth,  and  thirteenth  experiments 
demonftrate,  that  our  fenfes  are  by  no  means  capable  of 
t 
diftinguilhing  infection,  nor,  by  warning  us  of  the  dan- 
ger, of  leading  us  to  avoid  it.  They  fliew,  that  both  animal 
and  vegetable  matter,  when  perfectly  frefh,  fweet,  and 
devoid  of  putrefcency,  exhales  fomewhat  of  a very  noxious 
nature,  inducing  a putrid  ftate  in  the  living  body,  which 
proves  deftrudtive  to  animal  life. 
I 
Hence 
