Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1855-07-12
ORIGINA AL ES S A Y.

ORIGINAL ESS AY.
For the Port Tobacco Times.
is SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION OF THE
HUMAN BODY POSSIBLEa
! REPLY TO BOB SAWYER.
The above proposition with the accom-.
psnying remarks, which appeared in re-
cent number Of The Times, having elected q
response from the ready pen of my esteem
ed friend Bob Sawyer, in the production Of
an esssy purpot'ing TO show, 'ths. no such
thing as spontaneous combustion of the hu-
man body has ever existed" and with all
to confute what was not asserted, hoping
that he may continue 10 End ''bleeding" and
"bone saving both profitable and an q.
greeable occupation, worthy the devotion of
a precious lifetime; ths, his name may des-
cend 10 posterity encircled in q halo Of
Esculapian glory, and enid The blessings
OF grateful generation, and wondering 20,
liule !ha. an ''individual oi so practical
cas-. Of mind" az Bob bones should have
taxed his brain TO enlighten the public con-
corning a mere theoretical hoax. and to
demonstrate selceviden. sbsurd,y, his
"quondsm chum" Ben Allen feels conslrain-
ed in defence Of the views advocated in his
former essay once more to ob,rude himself
on the notice Of the reading public, trusting
that the intercs. Of The subjec. and the char
acter aud ability of his opponen. will prove
a suficien. apology for the act. 1t is quite
obvious, think, that The question discussed
in my previous essay, viz, the possibility Of
the phenomenon Of spontaneous combus-
lion, ss sn effec! Of The production of phos-
phure,ed hydrogen in The human organism,
by the hsbitualIy long continued inges,ion
Of alcohol, has not been fully and directly
met, nothing whatever having been advsnc.
ed TO show that the action of alcohol on
the blood cannot result in the generation of
phosphure.ed hydrogen, or that the pro-
duclion Of such conclusive compound in
The human body is in violation of fixed and
established chemical laws. Bob Sawyer has
preferred 10 rest his arguments chiefly on
The issue Of facts not embraced or debated
in my previous essay, and so far from en-
deavoring 10 prove my premises unscien,ific
grounds, he has dealt rather in probabilities
and merely objecls tn The truth Of nv ,heo-
ries on The supposition that certain effects
ought TO follow Of nature incompatible
with the idea Of their correctness. Bul
since Bob Sawyer has seen Fl, to make re-
ference to reported cases Of the phen nomenon
IN question, as an argument agains. It's ex-
ls'ence, ] sm perfectly willing, in fact may
say anxious, 10 Join issue with him on this
score, and that the theories advanced may
be tested by the written record of a.,es'ed
instances. shall proceed, however, IN the
first place. 10 q consideration Of the objec-
tions urged sgsins. the theories offered in
support Of the possibility of spontaneo Gus
combuslion, and, lastly, invite attention to
authentic cases of the occurrence in Ques-
l,on. do not deem i! necessary to recapi-
tula,e what was said on former occasion
respecting the production cf phosphure,ed
hydrogen in The human body, or to enter
into anv defence of its slric. accordance with
scientific laws and the known n,odus ope-
randi Of alcohol on The blood, since the
views then advocated seem to have been
tacitly sdmi,,ed, no attempt having been
made 10 show that The effect Of slcohol on
the blood is no. such as TO be capable Of
generating phosphure,ed hydrogen in con-
foImity TO chemical laws. 1t is commended.
and with what degree Of success or reason
the sequel must tell, tha, since two theories
are advanced 10 sustain the phenomenon Of
spontaneous combustion, they necessarily
weaken each other, and .hs. if one is cor
III IF
since they are essentially different in their
nature. Let US briefly examine this assnmp-
.ion and see how fsr it will stand the ,es,
of analogical investigs cation. ]. is a fixed and
determined chemical law, tina. water may be
resolved into it's component elements by the
agency of electricity, and j. is equally GER
tain .ba. the identical result can be effected
by q very distinc: sgency,-'hat of iron FL
inge and sui phuric acid. But according to
Bob Sswyer's system Of logic This canno,
be The case, since the two agencies "are es-
sen,ialIy distinct in their na,ure," the naked
fac. 10 The contrary notwithstanding. By a
parity of reasoning the electric spark ough.
no. in The one case TO decompose water in
TO its component elements, and in the other
TO reunite these came elements to form wa
ter, since evidently the two results are ''es-
sen,islIy dislinc, in their na.ure"-an a pri
lori could not eminate from the same cause.
Strange doctrine This to promulga,e in the
nineteenth century, and stranger still by so
accurate sn observer as''my quondam ehum"
Bob Sawyer. Blu. 10 demonstrate how ut
.erly un.ensble is this position, in relation
to the point in question, we need only q
moments reflection 10 CONVINCE us ahs,
should both conditions exist ia The same
org gansm al lhe same. .,ime.,he electric spark,
so far from re,arding The action of phosphu-
re.eJ hydrogen, would prove a powerful