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ter was small, but that of the saline impregnations, particularly of the muriate of soda and neutralised potash, so great, that the exsiccated expectorated substance tasted very salt, and presently grew moist, or even partially deliquesced; but the opaque ropy or puriform matter afforded a much larger proportion of exsiccated residue, which was but slightly salt, and generally only became soft on exposure to the air. This property of growing moist depends upon the potash.

"6. Each of the human fluids, according to my experiments, contains neutralised potash; at least, this is the fact of the blood, dropsy fluid, pus of abcesses, and pus secreted without breach of surface; the fluid effused by vesicating with cantharides; the urine; and in course in the very abundant secretion from the nose by a catarrh. The alkali being united to oxide of animal matter in these fluids, it is easily demonstrable.

"7. Although I think I have discovered many properties by which expectorated secretion may be distinguished from expectorated pus, I shall not speak of them, on this occasion, further than just to observe that the saline impregnation of pus, particularly that of potash, and muriate of soda, is in very much less proportion than in expectorated secretion; and hence it does not become moist after exsiccat ion on exposure to the air.

"8. It has been, I believe, uniformily asserted, that the circulating and secreted fluids are impregnated with soda; that it is especially in the matter secreted by the bronchial membrane. The experiments of others must confirm or disprove mine It seems, however, much more reasonable that the human fluids should be found to contain potash than soda united to some oxide or destructible acid; because the former alkali is daily introduced with the vegetable food and with the drink of fermented liquor, and it is as little likely to be destroyed as the muriate of soda also induced in the very same way. But our food and drink do not commonly at least contain the soda united to a destructible acid, or an oxide.

"9. It is plain from the preceding experiments, that expectorated matter belongs to the class of coagulable fluids and not of gela tinizable, or, as commonly asserted, mucous fluids. It differs from the coagulable fluid serum of blood, in forming a much thicker fluid with a much larger proportion of water: for serum and also the water of blisters, is quite liquid, although they afford, on exsiccation one twelfth to one eleventh of their weight of brittle residue, while some kinds of expectorated matter, of the consistence of mucilage, afford

only one fortieth of dry residue, and others of the consistence of thin paste afford only one fourteenth of residue.

"10. But for the unavoidable extent of this paper I should trouble the learned Society with various other conclusions and remarks, especially concerning the globularity of expectorated matter, which seems to indicate organization. Although ANTONIUS VAN LEWENHOECK, above a century ago, discovered the globularity of the blood, and even noticed it in other animal fluids, neither he nor any other person, as far as I know, investigated the subject in any fluid but the blood, till by Mr. HOME's acuteness and industry, at a very early period of life, it was observed in pus. I have in this paper related, that expectorated matter, especially the opaque ropy kind, as well as the puriform, is full of globules, and that except by such agents as destroy charcoal, they are scarcely destructible. Do these spherical particles consist chiefly of organized carbonaceous matter?

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Memoirs of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences. Vol. I. part. 1.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Although we have considerably exceeded the number of pages originally proposed, we have still to regret the postponement of several valuable communications from practitioners of eminence in this country, besides other articles, of foreign intelligence, prepared for this number. Some important papers. from Dr. ALIRE R. DELILE, our friend and correspondent at Paris, are also unavoidably omitted.

THE

AMERICAN

MEDICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL

REGISTER.

OCTOBER, 1810.

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS.

I.

OBSERVATIONS on NAVIGABLE CANALS.

Communicated to the Editors of the American Medical and Philosophical Register. By an OBSErver.

THE public attention, for several years past, has been chiefly engaged by turnpike roads, as the means of conveying produce to market, whence it is suspected that many of our fellow-citizens have not fully considered the great and solid advantages that would be derived, especially in this state, from navigable canals.

It may be taken for a general rule, that canals abound, in different governments, in direct proportion to the industry, economy, and wealth of the inhabitants. Not that wealth begets canals, but canals are the natural ef

T

fect of economy and industry, which never fail to beget wealth. It is known, by every man who has travelled in Europe, that Holland abounds in canals. No heavy loads, in that government, are conveyed in waggons; every thing is transported by water. But we know that the Dutch have been proverbially rich. Few, very few of us have ever seen the empire of China, but we know perfectly well that China, in all directions, is scarified by navigable canals. China is not, as some people imagine, a perfect plain. But there are canals in that empire, notwithstanding the hills, seven or eight hundred miles long. That ancient and prudent nation have discovered that the transportation of produce by horses is very expensive and would effectually check their prosperity. It is known that China, by economy of this kind, maintains more inhabitants than any other government on the face of the earth, upon the like number of acres. Peter, the emperor of Russia, one of the greatest men recorded in history, is known to have civilized a nation who were nearly savage. This he did by introducing commerce and learning among his subjects. Imitating the wise policy of the Chinese, he projected navigable canals through every part of his empire. Part of that great and useful work was executed in his life time, the remainder has been diligently prosecuted by his successors. A large boat may now pass from the Caspian to the Baltic; a distance of one thousand three hundred and thirty-four miles, without unloading any part of her cargo. Boats may also pass, by rivers and canals, from the White sea to Petersburg; or to the Caspian sea. And they may pass by the river Memel in the Baltic or by the Duna and then by certain canals into the Don or Dniester, and by those rivers into the Black sea; or turning to the northward, after they have left

the Memel or the Duna, they may pass by other canals and rivers into the Caspian sea. By the means of this internal navigation Russia is become a great commercial empire; its inhabitants are civilized, and fourteen or fifteen hundred ships, of foreign nations, are loaded every year with its produce.

It is within the memory of man that the first navigable canal was dug in England; a country that was supposed to be sufficiently improved. But canals are now become numerous in that kingdom, and the subjects have discovered that their former means of transporting produce had been improper and very expensive.

The Spaniards, an indolent nation, who are therefore among the hindmost, in every useful improvement; whose wealth for ages, has not been the effect of personal industry or economy, have lately attempted some navigable canals. But those canals, projected by pride and not by prudence, were begun upon too large a scale, and being too expensive, they were soon deserted.

Some canals there are, in other countries, larger than those in Spain, but they have been formed for a different purpose. They were intended for conveying shipping from one sea to another; not for the purpose of carrying produce to a shipping port. The canal of Languedoc, projected by Lewis the 14th, is of this kind. The Holstein canal, begun in the year 1777, and finished in 1785, is also of this kind. It is one hundred feet wide at the top, fifty-four feet wide at the bottom, and not less than ten feet deep in any part. Ships drawing nine feet four inches water may pass through it. Vessels pass by that

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