of CancW, and on Animal Hepatic Air* 4 l 9 
On the 28th of July, 1789, two drams and twenty-four 
grains of the lean of frefh veal was introduced into a narrow 
jar, which was filled with mercury, and inverted over that 
fluid. At the end of eight days the air, which was (lowly extri- 
cated, had communicated a brown colour to the furface of the 
mercury* On the 13th of September* the quantity of air difen- 
gaged was a little more than two ounce meafures. This fluid 
had a very fetid fmell. Two feparate portions of diftilled water 
being faturated with it, the firft, upon the addition of nitrated 
iilver, depofited a brown precipitate; and the laft, when it 
was mixed with lime-water, produced a brown ifh a(h-coloured 
cloud. A third portion of the air being ftrongly agitated with 
diftilled water, was reduced to one-fixteenth of its. original 
bulk. The refidue extinguifhed flame. 
The veal which had remained fo long in contact with the 
mercury had not loft its firm texture* Its fmell was putrid # 
but not very offenfive. 
The quantity of elaftic fluid collected in this experiment 
was much greater than in the preceding one ; becaufe in the pre- 
ceding experiment, although the putrefaction advanced more 
rapidly, yet the fixed and hepatic air were abforbed by the 
water nearly as faft as they were difengaged from the putrid 
fubftance. 
Hence it appears* that the aerial fluids, which are extricated 
from the mufcular fibres of animals by putrefaction, confift of 
fixed and animal hepatic, mixed with a very fmall proportion 
of phlogifticated air 
* It may be proper to remark, that 1 have obtained, by diftillation from the 
green leaves of a cabbage* an aerial fluid, which, in molt of its properties. 
refembles animal hepatic air. 
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