Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1880-04-29
A CHEMISTS COURAGE.
Some Anecdotes Illustrating Sir Humphre
Davy's Daring.


Davy's Daring
The same moral and physical courage
which Davy displayed in his youth, BY
deliberately taking out his pocket-knife
and excising part of his leg which had
been bitten by mad dog, and cauteriz-
ing the wound with his own hands, was
exhibited in his chemical investigations.
His discovery that nitrous gas, the vapor
of aquatortis, is not injurious to the
health, resulted from experiments on his
own life. He obtained the gas IN state
of purity, and though very well aware of
the danger he ran if the received theory
of its deadly powers were true, which he
doubted, he resolved to inhale it in its
pure form. Gradually increasing the
dose, he ultimately succeeded in breath
ing four quarts of the gas from and into
silk bag. He experienced giddiness
accompanied with loss of sensation and
volition, state analogous to intoxica-
tion, attended" as he says, "by highly
pleasurable thrilling In the chest and
limbs. The objects around became daz-
zling and my hearing more acute. To-
ward the last inspiration the sense of
muscular power became greater, and at
last an irresistible propensity to action
was indulged in. My gesticulations
were various and violent. In ten min
utes had recovered my natural state of
mlnd."
And what are we to say of the daring
of the following experiment, at which he
was again operator and subject? He was
curious to know what effect drink would
have on person under the influence of
this gas. He drank bottle of wine In
about eight minutes. II perceived" says
he, ga sense of fullness in the head and
throbbing of the arteries. l lost the
power Of speech and was unable to stand
steady. In an hour 1 sank into state
of insensibility, in which / remained for
two hours and halt. | was awakened
by severe headache and nausea, and my
bodily and mental debility were exces-
sive. In this state breathed five quarts
of gas for minute aud a half, but it
must have been impure, for it had no
effect" He then resplred twelve quarts
of oxygen for nearly four minutes,
without any material change in his sen
sations. The severe headache continuing
he rsspired seven quarts of pure nitrous
oxide tor two and half minutes. After
the third respiration the headache van
ished. Brilliant ideas passed through
his mind. He jumped and danced across
the room, but languor and depression
succeeded, which gradually wore off to-
ward evening.
In his treatise "Concerning Nitrous
Oxide, he records its amusing effect on
several of his friends. One of them danced
about like spinning top, and got so
pugnacious that he struck at whoever
happened to be near him. It's influence
on such chosen souls as Coleridge and
Southey was by no means brilliant. They
jumped and skipped about the room,
laughing idiotically, every CLEAN of In
telligence fading from their faces.
The experiment upon himself, by which
Davy proved that hydrecarbonate acts as
sedative, was fearfully daring. 1t was
no toolhardy bravado that was the mo-
tive power with him, but the love OF sci
entific investigation. He says he was
anxious to compare effects with those of
nitrous oxide. Emboldened by a
first experiment, from which he
felt no excessively painful results, he
introduced forr quarts OF gas into a
silk bag. After forced exhaustion of
the lungs, and the nose being accurately
closed, he made three breathings of the
hydrocarbonate. The first produced a
feeling of numbness: the second tooK
away the pow er of vision and enfeebled
the other senses; the third sent HIM away
in swoon and just left him power to
throw away the tube from his lips. After
q short interval he recovered little, and
was able to whisper, 81 don't think |
shall die.n Placing his finger on his
wrist, he found his pulse beating with