New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-11-14
gotaI gnttlli9ente.
Acaaensv of Sciences.

There was a regular weekly meeting of the
Academy of Sciences on Monday evening. Pres
ent: Professor Nalas, in the chair, DR.. Harrison,
Dr.. Burns, Dr.. Lawrence, DR.. Knapp, Mr. Hani
day, Mr.. ConingWOrth, Rev. MIR. Hoppe. Dr. Me
Lean and Mr.. Bailey. There were also number of
visitors in attendance, among whom, were several
ladies.
The minutes of the proceedings of the previous
weekly meeting of the Academy were Fead and
approved, and the ordinary business was tgan-
sacted, without leading to anything Of general in
terest, except the presentation OF couple of
specimens of Ignite from UnDr county, Ark, by
DIR. Harrison, on beh8if Of the owner Of the land
on which it was found. DR.. Harrison stated that
he had seen the bed from whichit was tekenr and
described its outcrop, thickness, etc, SO as to
make it appear that it promised to prove very
valuable He added that it had been tested for
the purpose, and was found to be capable of
yielding from forty to forty-aYe gallons per ton.
vote OF thanks for the donation was proposed
and carried.
Dr.. Burns read tIansIatiaa of portion of
dissertation on the nature, the mode OF action, and
the uses of antiseptcs, considered m tho most ex
tended sense. He stated that he had not made
the translation with vieW Of laying it before the
academy, or indeed with any othePyieW than that
of occupying some leisure hours forced upon him
by q slecpIess night. The dissertation gained the
prize offered for the best on the.snheCt by the
Academy OF Sciences, Arts, and Bales Lettres, of
Dijon in lI6T, and was ordered by the academy to
be printed with two others to WhRm an Accessit
was accorded. 1t was written by NJ de Boissieu
| Professor Of the College of Physicians at Lyon
Notwithstanding the vast strides made by science
since that period en- this and Rndred Subjects it
was possible that t1e paper might prove OF inter-
est, if not of some practical use. The portion he
had translated compriseda number of experiments
not only by NJ de Boissieu himself, but also by Sir
John Pringle, Albert Won Hnaer Dr. David Mac
bride and Dr. Peter Shaw and his French trans
lator, by GabeD, and by the. author of the Essays
on Putrefacton. Their scope and extent will be
perceived froIa N. de BoisSieu's reS&nle Of them.
This is as follows:
"In resu1ang the p4aoipal facts presented
by the experiments | have just recibed, il
will be seen that air is Gsengaged in great quan,
tity from animal substances which are putfefying
''That the action of external air is necessary tC
produce putrefaCtOn.
" That if there is noG free access of air to the
substance which is putretying, putreta9ton, attel
having made some rapid progress, reiaalns, as i
were, suspended.
'Hrhat animal substances which putFafy in an ex
actly closed vessel give undoubted signs of volatile
aikali.
"rhat this alEali is soon dissipated in the opel
air, or under too strong Gegree OF heat; but ina
it is manifested only whea putregaction arrives a
certain degree that is to say, neither at the be
ginning nor at the end
"That the putrdiodor is perceived at all times
} that it is, however, feeblest at the commencement
| or at the end. and that it is corrected by that
the volatile alkali.
"rhat putrcfyng substances lose both ia voura
and in weight.
''rhat heat acCaerates putrefaction that co
retRrds it that moisture taYors it, aad that Il
= diminishing Of the access Of the external a
W facilitates it.
N "That bodies in fermentation, that those viii,
d contain little air or which are greedy of
- hasten it.
a "rhat if substance be protected from the e
lie ternal air. it is preserved sound tha it is the sar
re if the development and the loss OF elementary
in fixed air be prevented.
III "That putrid bodies are greedy of air, and IL
their puIidity is corrected by the absorption
by that which certain substances furnish them, a
nd which escapes at the trAe of fermentation
;s effervescence, or of the explosion of nitre.
s ~ shall endeavor in tie course of this dssertat
nut to deduce from all these facts some just con
,pi qaences, and to evolve from them the applicat