Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1855-07-12

fret pl ace, il is destructive to animal exist
ence, independent. of its conclusive proper
ties; and, secondly, it would blow the body
to atoms, even granting i. be generated in
the system. These two theories for San in-
dividual of SO practical cast OF mind are
pattern of their kind. In relation TO. the
first, all have 10 say is, that J trust my
friend will be so gracious as to inform me
in what manner are the destructive effects
of this compound manifested, its modus ope-
randi in causing death, distinct from lis
conclusive or explosive qualities, and detail
some instances demonstra,ive Of such an in
dependent power. Reasoning from the fact
tina, phosphure,ed hydrogen is an explo-
sive. compound wi,hou. the body (Which ]
freely gran. when in contact with pure ory-
gen gas, bu, only spontaneously com6ustlue
when in contact with atmospheric air. Bob
Sawyer asks why does not an explosion en-.
sue and blow the body to atoms There
are several cogen! reasons agains, The produce
lion Of such result in The body, which will
briefly sum up. The question propounded
by Bob Sawyer seems to be based on mis-
apprehension of the behaviour Of phosphu-
eled hydrogen out Of The body when in
contac. only with atmospheric air. When
brought in contact with the atmosphere il is
spontaneously combustive, burning with
bright yellow fame, not ,erplosive; but vio-
lently SO when in contact with pure Oxygen
gas. This is an important and material dis
linction to be observed. Now granting that
the blood in the lungs should contain phos-
phureled hydrogen, no explosion would
ensue (even on The supposision that the be-
havior Of this compound in The body is
identical with ,ha. ou! Of the body, which
dues no. necessarily follow since pure
Oxygen gas in lhe &C! Of respiration is not
inhaled. But further, il is fact too we'll
established for disputa.on, that chemical
compounds do not necessarily, and in many
instances, exhibit the same and constant
behavior avithin The body as when external
10 it. There are modifying circumstances
within the system, often beyond our COM
prchension, which interpose with, and
change, their ordinary external manifesto
tions. Let US take, for instance, the els-
men,s Of water, oxygen and hydrogen.
They require, external 10 The animal body,
TO effect their union in The production of
water, degree Of heat several hundred
times above that Of the animal system; and
mixed together in vessel and ignited, vio-
len,ly explode. But these elements exhibit
no such manifestations in The animal econo-
my, they there unite TO form water al
temperature far beloau that required out of
the body and without the occurrence Of
anything like an explosion. II does not
therefore follow, granting for argument sake
,ha. phosphureled hydrogen does explode
when in con,sc, with atmospheric air out Of
The body. (Which is no. the case,) that on
explosion would ensue ,cithin the body when
atmospheric air is admi,.ed IN the lungs. ].
might, a priori, within the body undergo
combustion without an explosion, jus. as we
have seen is the case with the elements Of
wafer (oxvgen and hydrogen). But again,
granting that the compound, phosphure,ed
hydrogen, will explode when in contact
with air, and tha. its manifestations are the
same both within and wi,houi,he body, no
explosion would take place as supposed by
Bob Sawyer, for the very Satisfactory rea-
son that this gas does not explode when dis-
solved in water, which contains atmospheric
air, and therefore the conclusion is clear and
logical there would also be no explosion in
the blood, which consists of nearly fue-
sirths water. Tha. the breath of persons
adlcted 10 intoxica,ion has occasionally pre-
sened luminous appearance, shows con-
clusively that some spontaneously combus-
tive compound existed in the system, not
possessing erplosive properties, or fatal, in
dependent of its conclusive tendencies, 10
animal existence. Enough has been said to
show very concusively that the objections
grounded on the explosive properties Of
phosphure.ed hydrogen, cannot be held as
valid against its existence in the animal eco
| nomy.
The objection TO my second theory, viz,
the decomposition Of The water Of the body
and lis reunion by electricity, that it falls to
give rise to the phenomenon under discus
sion, under ordinary circumstances, when
impaired to the body in its normal condi-
tion from an eriernal source and in rapid
state Of conduction from :he system. cannot
be considered valid srgumen. against its
possible cause Of spontaneous combustion,
which is all that was claimed for ii. Tha.
this sgen. should be capable of exciting
combuslion Of the body, it appears TO be
necessary lha, a peculiar and unexplained
state Of system should exist, causing far
more sbundan, development Of electricity
than normal, and predisposing The body to
undergo such process. We would not
expec, spontaneous combustion TO ensue in
cases of death by lightning, The electricity
being impaired to the body in a state Of
rapid conduc'ion from il, allowing Of no ac-
cumulston, and in condition usually Of
health and in which ths, peculiarly and
predsposilion Of system, alluded 10 above.
do not obtain ''Bu. suppose" says Bob
Sawyer, shat electricity did produce the