of Cancer , and on Animal Hepatic Air . 403 
jar, this vifcid fubftance was difiolved ; the iplrit acquired a 
yellow colour and empyreumatic fmelf, and upon adding to it 
diftilled water the mixture became whitifh and (lightly turbid. 
I next examined the air extricated from putrid veal by diftil- 
lation. A portion of the latter fubftance being introduced into 
a coated glafs retort was expofed to a red heat, and the air 
difengaged was received in a jar over mercury. This aerial 
fluid was found to poflefs nearly the fame properties with that 
which was obtained in the preceding experiments. It was very* 
inflammable ; about one-half of it was foluble in diftilled 
water. The water, thus impregnated, became turbid upon 
the addition of nitrated filver, and a brown precipitate fell to the 
bottom. To another portion of diftilled water iaturated with 
this fluid, dephlogifticated marine acid being added, the fetid 
fmell was deftroyed, a brifk efFervefcence took place, and a 
whitifh gelatinous fubftance was feparated. This fubftance 
being evaporated to drynefs, became black upon the addition of 
concentrated vitriolic acid. When a quantity of the air ob- 
tained in the experiment was agitated with diftilled water until 
no more was abforbed, the refidue took fire upon the applica- 
tion of an ignited body, and burned with a lambent flame. 
It is proper to obferve, that the air extricated from the putrid veal 
had lefs of the empyreumatic fmell than that which was difen- 
gaged from frefh animal fubftances. Its odour indeed was nearly 
fimilar to that of animal fubftances in a ftate of putrefadHon. 
We learn from thefe experiments that the aerial fluids, which 
are extricated from frefh as well as from putrid animal fub- 
ftances by diftillation, have nearly the fame properties with 
that which is difengaged, by a fimilar procefs, from the mat- 
ter of cancer. Each of them appears to confift of two diftmct 
fluids; one of which is foluble, and the other infoluble, in 
G g g 2 water. 
