100 
PATHOLOGY. 
expectations which at firft were formed of its aCtion. All 
thofe animals which polfefs excitability are affeCted by 
Galvanifm as they would he affeCted by any other violent 
ftimulus; and, if the excitable part be at all mufcular, the 
fibres are vigoroufly contracted. This caufes, in a living 
and confcious animal, a fenfation not unlike an eleCtric 
fhock. The (hock is more like that of common electri¬ 
city, as the plates of the battery are fmaller and more 
numerous. When the plates are of very large furface, 
a fort of vibratory motion is felt through 1 the part, at¬ 
tended with a fenfation of heat; and this, in a powerful 
battery, is felt fo longas the connection is kept up. The 
bell mode of taking the fliock is firft to moiften the hands, 
or the part where the effeCt is to be applied ; grafp in 
each hand a'piece of metal, fuch as two fpoons, and touch 
each end of the battery with the other ends of the fpoons 
at the fame time. If it is intended to be applied to any 
other part, let two plates, of about two inches in diame¬ 
ter, be each attached to the wires coming from the bat¬ 
tery, and let the plates be applied to fome two parts : if 
the effeCt be too fevere, let fome inferior conductor be 
placed between the plate and the fkin. Sir H. Davy 
found, that, when an animal fubftance was placed in the 
circuit of a galvanic battery, the different compounds 
contained in it were decompofed. This was more Spe¬ 
cially the cafe with the faline bodies contained in the 
animal fluids; the acids of the falts were found on the 
pofitive fide of the battery, and the bafes of the falts on 
the negative. Should it be afcertained that any redun¬ 
dancy of faline matter is the caufe of difeafe, Galvanifm 
might be employed with great fuccefs in feparating thofe 
bodies from the fyftem. See the article Electricity, 
vol. vi. p. 409, 445, & feq. 
Pneumatic medicine, or the ufe of gafes in the cure of 
various internal complaints, was very falhionable at the 
time chemiftry formed one of the moll ardent purfuits of 
the French nation, and when they attempted to explain 
the vital properties according to the laws of oxygen, &c. 
And in this country, Beddoes, Rollo, Cruikfhank, and 
others, made many interefting experiments and trials on 
this fubjeCt. Of late its ufe has declined. See Oxygen, 
vol. xviii. p. 167. 
The diverfified experiments of Sir H. Davy on the 
refpiration of nitrous oxyde and fome other gafes, fo in- 
tereftingly defcribed in his fcientific refearches in 1800, 
in a great meafure diflipated the general apprehenfions of 
fatality refulting from the inhalation of compound gafes, 
and fatisfaClorily demonftrated that many of the aerial 
fluids, before confidered as deftruCtive to vitality, might 
be breathed with perfeCt fafety. 
The following cafe, (howing the beneficial effeCts of 
oxygen gas in reftoring fufpended animation, occurred 
in the year 1814, in the laboratory of the Dublin So¬ 
ciety, and excited confiderable intereft. It was commu¬ 
nicated by Samuel Whitter, efq. who made the experi¬ 
ment on himfelf. He introduces the account by obferv- 
ing that, when a mixture of carbonate of lime and zinc, 
or iron-filings, is expofed to an intenfe heat, the peculiar 
gafeous fubftance named carbonic oxyde is difengaged, 
which has been ftated to bear the fame relation to car¬ 
bonic acid that nitrous gas does to nitric acid. But 
agreeably to the ftriking obfervations of Mr. Higgins, 
profeflor of chemiftry to the Dublin Society, in his work 
recently puhliflied, (wherein his claim to the difcovery 
of the atomic fyftem is unequivocally eftablilhed,) it 
would appear that, in the combination of oxygen with 
different gafes, it is the atom of oxygen only that is found 
multiplied, as is beautifully exemplified in all the metal¬ 
lic oxydes, acids, and gafes. An apparent anomaly has 
been noticed with relpeCt to nitrous oxyde, which the 
experiments of Mr. Higgins on the compofition of nitrous 
gas tend to obviate, and fanCtion a comparifon of the 
proportions of carbon and oxygen in carbonic oxyde 
with thofe of azote and oxygen in nitrous oxyde, rather 
than the atomic coincidence of carbonic oxyde and nitrous 
gas. Carbonic oxyde was difcovered and defcribed by 
Mr. Cruikfhank in 1801; it is highly combuftible, burn¬ 
ing with a fine blue flame, but it is utterly incapable of 
fupporting animal life. 
“ Defirous of witnefling the progreflive effeCts of car¬ 
bonic oxyde when freely refpired, with a view to compa¬ 
rative analogy in reference to nitrous oxyde, I was 
tempted a few days ago to inhale a portion of it as copi- 
oufly as poflible. The confequence had very nearly 
proved fatal to me. A confiderable quantity of the gas 
having been carefully prepared by Mr. S. Wharmby, the 
very ingenious and able afliftant to Mr. Profeflor Higgins, 
a feries of experiments on its refpiration were propofed. 
Mr. Wharmby firft noticed fome points of refetnblance 
it bore to the nitrous oxyde, particularly the Angularly 
fweetifh tafte ; and, having made two or three infpira- 
tions, was feized with a degree of convulfive tremor and 
giddinefs that nearly overpowered fenfibility. Thefe 
violent effeCts were but tranfient, though confiderable 
languor, head-ache, and debility, remained for many 
hours afterwards. Anxious to purfue the experiment 
ftill further, I next made three or four hearty infpirations 
of the gas, having firft exhaufted my lungs of common 
air as completely as poflible. The effects were an incon¬ 
ceivably f'udden deprivation of fenfe and volition. I 
fell fupine and motionlefs on the floor, and continued in 
a ftate of total infenfibility for nearly half an hour, appa¬ 
rently lifelefs, pulfstion being nearly extinCt. Several 
medical gentlemen being prelent, various means were 
employed for my reftoration, without fuccefs ; when the 
introduction of oxygen gas by compreflion into the lungs 
was, fuggefted, the effects of which may be fairly con- 
trafted with thofe of the carbonic oxyde. A very rapid 
return of animation enfued, though accompanied by 
convulfive agitations, exceflive headache, and quick ir¬ 
regular pulfation, and, for fome time after mental reco¬ 
very, total blindnefs, extreme licknefs, and vertigo, with 
alternations of heat and (hivering cold, were painfully 
experienced. Thefe unfavourable fpafms were fucceeded 
by an unconquerable propenfity to fleep, which, as might 
be expefted, was broken and feverilh. An emetic of 
tartarized antimony finally removed thefe alarming fymp- 
toms, and the only unpleafant effeCts felt on the en- 
fuing day were thofe occafioned by the fall. 
“I very much regret that the confufion arifing from 
the idea of my death, fo dilturbed the arrangement, that 
no accurate determination could afterwards be made, 
either of the quantity of gas refpired, or the change it 
underwent in the procefs; and the experiment is rather 
too hazardous for repetition. Neverthelefs, the extra¬ 
ordinary efficacy of oxygen gas in cafes of fufpended ani¬ 
mation produced by carbonic acid, choke-damps, and 
other fuffocating gafes, is fairly deducible, and I conceive 
cannot be too forcibly recommended to the faculty, in 
fuch inftances. I therefore fincerely hope that the refults 
of this experiment may be of practical utility in thofe 
cafes, which are fo frequently occurring, and are often 
fo awfully fatal; it being the decided opinion of the pro- 
feflional gentlemen prefent on this occafion, that the free 
ufe of the oxygen gas was folely inftrumental in reftoring 
me to life. 
“ Mr. Higgins himfelf had nearly once fallen a viCtim 
to a fimilar experiment with fulphuretted hydrogen, the 
effeCts of which, after recovering from a death-like infen¬ 
fibility, were painful and oppreflive for many days.” 
This very ihort (ketch may appear fcarcely a fufficienc 
account of General Pathology and Therapeutics. 
The pathological reader will be immediately ftruck with 
the omiflion of all notice of Spafm, of Inflammation and 
its confequences, &c. But we have rather deemed it 
prudent to invelligate thefe fubjeCts under their feparate 
heads, and have merely inferted thefe obfervations as 
being of too general a character to be reduced under 
any of our divifions. We therefore at once proceed to 
the 
CLASSIFY 
