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tities of oxygen and nitrogen in it were calculated by a very fimple process. This air was then respired, and its diminution marked. After refpiration, a portion of it was introduced into the eudiometer, and its carbonic acid absorbed by means of lime-water. Freed from the carbonic acid, the air was now fubjected to the action of the fulphuret of lime, and the relative quantity of nitrogen in it was difcovered by the abforption of oxygen which had taken place. Then, by deducting the quantity of carbonic acid, and of oxygen gas, contained in the air of respiration, from the total quantity that remained after refpiration, the proportion of nitrogen was obtained, which abftracted from the total quantity before refpiration, gave the proportion of nitrogen absorbed.

Exp. 1. 600 cubic inches of atmospherical air were respired, for 4 min. at the temperature of 63° F. The quantity of nitrogen that difappeared in the experiment was found to be 17.7 cubic inches.

Exp. 2. The refult in this cafe was, that 12 cubic inches of nitrogen disappeared after respiring the fame quantity of atmospherical air at 64° F. for 4 minutes.

Exp. 3. 1000 cubic inches of atmospherical air were respired for the space of 4 min. at the temperature of 57°. The quantity of nitrogen absorbed was 15.1 cubic inches.

Thefe experiments were confirmed by many others. The amount of nitrogen abforbed, however, is fomewhat less than in the experiments of Mr. Davy, on the same subject, who makes it equal to 5 cubic inches per minute. But this difference may be accounted for, Dr. Henderson thinks, from Mr. Davy having given the refult of the changes produced on the air by a fingle refpiration, or by a small number of refpirations; whilst, in his own experiments, a large portion of air was breathed for a confiderable length of time, till it was no longer fit for the purpose of refpiration. Ibid.

The within account of the exhibition of a metal, which, we believe, has never before been administered, is only intended to

excite practitioners to farther trials of this and other hitherto untried metals, and to fhew that at leaft it (the oxide of cobalt) may be given, without any bad effects, in the doses mentioned.

We cannot avoid repeating a remark formerly made, that, confidering the efficacy of arfenic, iron, mercury, lead, tin, copper, filver, antimony, and even bifmuth, it is aftonishing that the effects of at least a dozen other metals should not yet have been ascertained, and that they should have scarcely once been exhibited.

"In a case of chronic rheumatifm, I administered ten grains of oxide of cobalt twice a day for three days, without any fenfible effect. After an interval of four days, I gave, as before, two doses daily, till fix were taken, which producing no obfervable change, the oxide was exhibited in the quantity of twenty grains at a time, twice a day, for fix times, with the effect of only exciting fickness.

"In a second cafe, of either fyphilitic or rheumatic pains, ten grains of the oxide of cobalt were administered twice a day, till fixteen doses were taken, without any effect but a little naufea.

"In a third cafe, of itching eruption, ten grains of the oxide were prescribed twice a day, for four dofes, which proved laxative, and gave relief.

"In a fourth cafe, three grains of the oxide of cobalt werc given for a dofe, without any fenfible effect, to a patient ill of a pulmonary confumption."

Ibid.

The following interesting experiment, we are affured, was lately instituted at the Veterinary College by Mr. Coleman, the profeffor, with a view to determine whether or not the glanders, a well known difeafe in horfes, can be cured by letting out the

« The oxide was prepared by precipitating it from muriate of cobalt by fub-carbonate of potass. (Kali preparatum, Lond. Ph.)

blood of the difeafed animal, and transfufing in place of it the blood of one in health.

The carotid artery of the found horfe was opened, and one end of the ureter of a horse was fixed into it, while the other end was introduced into the jugular vein of the diseased horse. There was a stop-cock fixed in the ureter, to regulate the quantity of blood transfused. In this way it was estimated, that ten gallons of healthy fluid were transfufed, and above five gallons of blood were let off at the fame time from the glandered horfe.

The glandered horfe died four days after he had received the transfufed blood, and the other horfe alfo died from the quantity of blood loft.

Mr. Coleman has proved that he can produce the glanders, by transfufion of blood, in both the horse and the ass. Ibid.

"We have been requested, in a letter from Mr. Heron, to inform the public, that potatoes sweetened by froft, if fliced down, fubjected to squeezing in the press, exposed (the juice which has been expressed) to a fimmering-or even a stronger heat, in mixture with pulverifed charcoal, ftrained through a cloth, again exposed to heat with fresh charcoal, again strained, and then further refined in the fame manner as fugar; will afford a confiderable produce of that commodity in a state of fufficient purity." Hiftorical Mag.

M. Funcke, a German apothecary, gives the following as a more economical, expeditious, and easy process for preparing Phosphate of Soda, than any in ufe:

Saturate the excess of lime contained in calcined bones with dilute fulphuric acid, and diffolve the remaining phosphate of lime in nitric acid. To this folution add a like quantity of fulphate of foda, and then recover the nitric acid by diftillation. The phosphate of foda is then to be feparated from the fulphate of lime by affufion with water and chryftallization in the usual Univerfal Magazine.

manner.

The following valuable extract from a Paris paper, (the Gazette Nationale ou le Moniteur Univerfel, for Oct. 4, 1804,) will doubtless be read with the highest fatisfaction by the friends of vaccination throughout America, as an ample proof, in addition to former teftimonials, of the fecurity obtained by that practice against the small-pox.

"His excellency the Minister of the Interior, has communicated to the central fociety of the vaccine established near him, the refult of a counter-proof which, by the concurrence of circumstances accompanying it, ought to make an epoch in the hiftory of vaccination.

"Six black children, the first who were vaccinated in the Isle de la Reunion, (Ifle de Bourbon) and whofe infection afterwards served for more than 5000 other individuals, were embarked in the vessel, the Young Caroline, (infected with the small-pox) and carried to one of the Iles des Seychelles, where the veffel was obliged to perform quarantine. These fix children remained three months on board, constantly placed in the focus of the infection; and pains were taken to make them live, eat, and sleep with the infected. They were alfo, during the quarantine, twice inoculated for the fmall-pox, each time with large incifions in both arms. It is stated by the register, daily kept, that these six children having slept under the bed-clothes of the perfons having the small-pox, in contact with their puftules, eating and drinking out of the fame utenfils, having been twice inoculated from those, who afterwards fell victims to their disorder, were preferved from all contagion, and continue at the prefent time in perfect health.

"This counter-proof is perhaps the strongest in the history of vaccination, from the particular circumftance, that these fix children after reaching the place of quarantine, lived for 15 days in the midst of twenty blacks in the confluent small-pox, of whom fix are dead; of twenty to twenty-five other blacks in the state of scabbing, deficcation and convalefcence, seven of which number died before the vessel arrived; and all were conVOL. I. Z z

10 or 12.

tained between decks of a fmall veffel, in a space of 8 feet by This counter-proof merits a place in the immenfe collection of useful experiments made in Europe upon vaccination; it fulfils moreover, the important end propofed by government, and it confirms in the most unqualified manner the anti-variolic property, which the numerous trials made by the most distinguished physicians had attached to the new inoculation."

It is to be hoped that after reading the above, even the most fceptical will be convinced, and that stricter attention to the anomalies of the disease, will ferve to explain the supposed cafes of fubfequent fmall-pox; and enable us to guard against their future recurrence.

Editor.

The fociety lately instituted at Laufanne, to exterminate the fmall-pox by vaccination, have publicly offered to pay 100 livres to any person who, after fuccefsfully undergoing vaccination under their care, fhall take the fmall-pox. Month. Mag.

In the Historical Magazine, Vol. 2, p. 399, is the following curious information of the deftruction of the polarity of the needle by garlick.

"As I found great pleasure in reading that part of your history of science, in the last number of your magazine, which treated of Magnetism, Electricity, and Chemistry, it caused me to renew an experiment, which I can venture to affirm is not at this time publicly known: it is the effect of garlick on the polarity of the needle. The experiment I made in the following manner :-Take a common rubbed needle, stick it in a quantity of garlick fufficient to cover it; let it remain in that situation two or three days, its polarity will be quite gone. If you think this circumstance worth your notice, it will be feen with pleafure by your constant reader.

Oxford, Sept. 20.

X. Y. Z.

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