246     OXYGENNESIS,  FOR  THE  PRODUCTION  OF  OXYGEN,  ETC. 
after  one  lesson  can  as  well  undertake  the  operation  as  any 
other  duty  she  may  be  required  to  perform. 
Physicians  who  may  wish  to  employ  this  remedy  may  now 
prescribe  it  with  no  more  hesitation  than  they  would  prescribe  a 
black  draught  or  a  calomel  pill. 
Dr.  Squire  wished  to  inquire  whether  Mr.  Robbins'  invention 
had  not  been  patented  ;  if  so,  he  doubted  the  value  of  the  patent, 
for  Professor  Brodie  had  pointed  out  in  1851,  that  when  per- 
oxide of  barium  was  treated  with  an  acid  solution  of  bichromate 
of  potash  oxygen  was  evolved  with  great  regularity.  Faraday 
had  mentioned  the  same  thing  in  one  of  his  lectures  on  ozone  at 
at  the  Royal  Institution.  Dr.  Squire  also  objected  to  the  name 
oxgennesis,  and  thought  it  ought  rather  to  be  called  oxyexodus, 
as  the  oxygen  was  eliminated,  not  created. 
Mr.  C.  H.  Wood  said  that  the  reactions  of  peroxide  of  barium, 
and  bichromate  or  permanganate  of  potash  were  well  known  as 
scientific  facts,  but  did  not  consider  that  that  affected  the  value 
of  Mr.  Robbins'  patent.  The  great  objection  to  Mr.  Robbins* 
process  was  the  cost  of  the  oxygen,  and  he  was  glad  to  hear  that 
this  was  likely  to  be  reduced.  He  did  not  consider  that  the 
process  was  easier  than  that  for  obtaining  oxygen  from  chlorate 
of  potash  and  manganese ;  indeed,  he  thought  the  latter  the 
easier  operation.  He  wished  to  know  how  Mr.  Robbins  decided 
that  oxygen  from  chlorate  of  potash  and  manganese  was  con- 
taminated with  chlorine,  and  not  by  ozone.  The  kte  Mr.  Witt 
had  shown  that  oxygen  obtained  in  this  way  always  contained 
a  variable  proportion  of  ozone.  He  (Mr.  Wood)  did  not  consider 
ozone  objectionable  for  inhalation,  for  he  thought  that  whatever 
good  was  effected  by  oxygen  when  inhaled,  must  be  due  to  the 
ozone  which  gave  active  properties  to  oxygen. 
Professor  Redwood  said  that  Mr.  Crace  Calvert  had  pointed 
out  that  oxygen  from  chlorate  of  potash  and  peroxide  of  man- 
ganese always  contained  chlorine  or  an  oxide  of  it,  and  he  did 
not  think  that  the  gas  from  this  source  was  fit  to  administer. 
He  freely  gave  his  testimony  to  the  value  of  the  process  Mr. 
Robbins  had  introduced.  The  process  was  certainly  easy, 
though  it  was  not  calculated  for  chemists,  but  would  answer 
well  when  oxygen  was  wanted  for  medical  purposes. 
Mr.  Robbins,  in  reply,  said  that  he  was  not  aware  of  Mr. 
