37S

OF NOXOUS VAPOURS-

henedlctus, sweetened with honey, or some warm water, with ihe au-dition of a little salt, may, he says, supply its place. The Doctor doesnot intend that any of these things should be given in such quantity Mto occasion WHiiting. He thinks emetics in this situation are not expedient.

We are by no means to discontinue our assistance as soon as the pa-tients discover some tokens of life, since they sometimes expire aftertheir first appearance of recovering. The warm and stimulating appli-cations are still to be continued, and small quantities of some cordialliquor ought frequently to be administered. Lastly, though the personshould be manifestly re-animated, there sometimes remains an oppression,a cough and feverishness, which effectually constitute a disease. Inthis case it will be necessary to bleed the patient in the arm, and tocause him to drink plentifully of barley-water, elder-flower tea, or anyother soft pectoral infusions.

Such persons as have the misfortune to be deprived of the appearancesof life by a fall, a blow, suffocation, or the like, must be treated nearlyin the same manner as those who have been for some time under water

OF NOXIOUS VAPOURS.

AlE may be many ways rendered noxious or even destructive toanimals. This may either happen from its vivifying principle beingdestroyed, or from subtle exhalations with which it is impregnated.Thus air that has passed through burning fuel is neither capable of sup-porting fire nor the life of animals. Hence the danger of sleeping inclose chambers with coal fires. Some indeed suppose the danger hereproceeds from the sulphureous oil contained in the coal, which is set atliberty and diffused all over the chamber; while others imagine it isowing to the air of the room being charged with phlogiston. Be this asit may, it is a situation carefully to be avoided. Indeed it is dangerousto sleep in a small apartment with a fire of any kind. I lately saw fourpersons who had been suffocated by sleeping in ail apartment where asmall fire of coal had been left burning.

The vapour which exhales from wine, cyder, beer, or other liquors, inthe state of fermentation, contains something poisonous, which kills inthe same manner as the vapour of coal. Hence there is always dangerin going into cellars where a large quantity of these liquors is in a stateof fermentation, especially if they have been close shut up for some time.There have been many instances of persons struck dead on entering suchplaces, and of others who have with difficulty escaped.

When subterraneous caves, that have been very long shut, are opened,or when deep wells are cleaned which have not been emptied for severalvears, the vapours arising from them produce the same effects as thosementioned above. For this reason, no person ought to venture into awell, pit, cellar, or any place that is damp, and has been long shut up,Jill the air has been sufficiently purified, by burning gunpowder in it. Itis easy to know, as has been observed kl a former part of this work,when th« air of such places is unwholesome, by letting down a lighted