96 
BRITISH ASSOCIATION.— 1835 . 
Amongst the observations brought forward by him to illustrate 
its use are the following: 
To show the refrigerating effect of agitation or of a breeze, the 
temperature of the air remaining the same. 
In air, temp. 70° at rest, it cooled from 90° to 80° in 5 ra 20 s . 
in a slight breeze.in 2 m 50 s . 
blown on with a bellows.in 58 s . 
These observations show the fallacy of detennining climate by 
the thermometer. There are situations in which, owing to constant 
currents of air, a cold is produced of the utmost consequence to 
health, but not appreciable by the thermometer. Dr. Osborne ex¬ 
pects that by means of this mode of observation much light may be 
thrown on the climates of the western coast of Africa, and of other 
unhealthy localities. The meteorological tables at present kept in 
those places fail in showing the effect of the sea and land breezes. 
The following shows the refrigerating power of water above air 
of the same temperature, at rest, to be above 14 to 1. 
In air at rest, temperature 70°, it cooled from 90° to 80° in 5 m 40 s . 
In water at rest, same temperature. in 24 s . 
It is well known that in swimming it is not the fatigue so much 
as the refrigeration which fixes the limit. This appears from the 
following observation compared with the preceding. 
The instrument agitated in water, cooled from 90° to 80° in 15 s . 
In order to ascertain the refrigeration produced by damp clothes, 
Dr. Osborne covered the bulb of the instrument with cotton wool, 
and having placed it at rest in an apartment at 68-y 0 , found it to cool 
from 90° to 80° in 10 m 14 s . Placing it in the same circumstances, 
but with the cotton wool slightly damped, it cooled down in 2 ra 57 s . 
This proportion must be much increased when under the influence 
of the open air. The application of cotton wool to the skin, moist¬ 
ened with water or an evaporating lotion, he has found the most 
eligible means of cooling the surface in disease, not only on account 
of the constancy with which the refrigeration is maintained, but from 
its being peculiarly agreeable to the feelings of the patient. 
On the Influence of the Artificial Rarefaction or Diminution of At¬ 
mospheric Pressure in some Diseases, and the Effects of its Con¬ 
densation or increased Elasticity in others. By Sir James 
Murray. 
The paper was divided into two parts. The first detailed the ge¬ 
neral principles of the rarefaction of air, and its powers as a reme¬ 
dial agent on the human body. The second part related to the local 
agency of condensation of air in topical diseases. 
The propositions were submitted, not as remedial means of them¬ 
selves alone, but as auxiliary to those already in use. It was shown, 
