Temperature being 64°, a healthy small mouse was quickly passed under the mercury into the jar, and suffered to rest on a very thin bit of cheese, which was admitted immediately after.
He continued for near 40 minutes without apparently suffering, occasionally raising himself on his hind legs. At the end of 50 minutes, he was lying on his side, and in 55 minutes was apparently dying. He was now carefully taken out through the mercury by the tail, and exposed before the fire, where he soon recovered. After the cheese had been carefully removed, the gas in the jar filled a space nearly equal to 14 cubic inches; so that a diminution of a cubic inch had taken place. These 14 cubic inches analised, were found to consist of
| cub. in. | |
| Carbonic acid | 2,0 |
| Oxygene | 1,4 |
| Nitrogene | 10,6 |
The 15 cubic inches before the experiment, consisted of
| cub. in. | |
| Oxygene | 4 |
| Nitrogene | 11 |
Hence it appeared, that 2,6 cubic inches of oxygene had been consumed, 2 cubic inches of carbonic acid produced, and about 0,4 of nitrogene lost.
The relation between the quantities of oxygene consumed in this experiment, and the carbonic acid produced, are nearly the same as that of those in the experiments just detailed; but the quantity of nitrogene lost is much smaller.
VII. Respiration of Oxygene.
The gases before and after respiration, were analised in these experiments in the manner described in the last section, except that 3 of nitrous gas were always employed to one of oxygene.
E. I. At temperature 53°, after a full forced respiration, I respired in the mercurial airholder, for half a minute, 102 cubic inches of oxygene, making seven very long and deep inspirations. After the compleat expiration, the gases filled a space equal to 93 cubic inches; these 93 cubic inches analised, were found to consist of