662 
G. J. GOUBEAUD. 
the same gentleman, caused in the same way, but treated 
differently, which did not terminate fatally. I think that I can 
safely state that the owner’s opinion of charcoal has changed 
considerably. Still, I have heard prominent and successful prac¬ 
titioners say that they had cases in which the gas generated as 
rapidly as it was absorbed by the charcoal. 
Practitioners that have employed hundreds of pounds in 
practice, gentlemen who are shrewd observers, careful, con¬ 
servative and conscientious, would have me believe that a 
horse would generate three times as much gas as charcoal 
would absorb. Others that it would during fermentation evolve 
fifteen times as much gas as would charcoal by its affinity take 
to itself. If these things be true the deductions would be as 
follows: A horse would be an animated gas reservoir, a walk¬ 
ing, rolling, kicking and struggling gas generator, an honest 
and faithful gas tank. I could not understand these things, I 
was either badly twisted or they were wrong. The authorities 
either knew that charcoal does not, would not and could not 
absorb gases under certain conditions, and failed to state the 
fact, for I have not found it stated in all the works which I 
have read on the subject, or they simply wished to have us find 
the reason why. 
Charcoal by its selective affinity and its powers to absorb 
gases is described as an absorbent. It will by that power which 
it possesses and which is inherent in itself perform this action ; 
it will absorb gas ; it is one of the best absorbents of gas that is 
known. But there are conditions or states in which charcoal 
can be and is absolutely useless as an absorbent, and I think I 
can prove to your satisfaction that charcoal as we give it is posi¬ 
tively useless, and can have no absorbing power whatever. It 
simply and positively has no absorbing power. 
Charcoal is not very obliging, it does not wait for us to em¬ 
ploy it and then perform its chemical action, it is not automatic, 
we must do more than press the button. We must heat it, we 
must drive off all those gases which it has already absorbed 
before any benefit can be derived from its use. The arguments 
