The Grant County herald. (Big Stone City, Grant County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1883, 1880-05-01
/ CHEMISTS COURAGE.
Some Anecdotes illustrating SIR Humphrey
Davy's Daring,

some Anecdotes illustrating SIR Humphrey
Davy's Daring,
. The same molal and physical courage
which Davy displayed in his youth, bv
deliberately taking out his p0eket-knife
and e1cising part Of his leg which had
! uecn bitten hy mad dog, and Cauteviy-
lng the wound with his own hands, was
exhibited III lis chemical Investigations.
Ills discovery that nitrous gas, the yapor
/ - aquaIortls, Is not Injurious 10 the
health, resulted from experiments or his
own lite. lie obtained the gas III a state
| ot purity, and though very we'll aware Of
the danger Ire ram it the received theory
tot its deadly powers were true, which hc
Qeupteu, lie resolved to inhale it in it's
pure form Gradually increasing the
dose, he ultimately succeeded in breath
ing four quarts OF the gas from and into
il silk bag. lie experienced a giddiness
accompanied with loss of sensation and
E9lstloA, state analogous to lntoXica-
ton, ATTENDED, as he says, "bv highly
pleasuTable thrilling III the chest and
limbs. The objects around became daz-
zllng 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 INDUCED in. Ny gesticulations
We're various and violent In ten min
utes had recovered my natural state of
mind"
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 d person under the influence Of
this gas. He drank a bottle Of wine IN
about eight minutes. Il perceived says
lie, sense ot tuilness III tie head and
throE5olng Of tie arteries. | lost the
ne"eg oi speech and was unable to stand
steady. Ia III hour | sank into state
oi ln9eAsl5illtv, III which | remained for
two hours and a halt. ! was awakened
by severe headache aud nausea, ana my
bodily ar. mental debility were excess
slye. IN this state breathca ire quarts
CT gas lot minute aAd nati, but 1t
must have been impure, for it had no
effect. lie then resplred twelve quarts
at oxygen Tor nearly four minutes,
without any material change in his SEN
sati0ns. The severe headache continuing
he faspiea seven quarts Of pure nitrous
eN.ae tor two and a half minutes. After
The tlllrAa respiration the headache van
lshest Brilliant ideas passed through
hi mint. lie jumped and danced across
the loan4, nut languor and depression
succeeded, which gradually wore of to
ward evening.
In lis treatise concerning Nitrous
several of hls friends Ore Of them danced
about like q spinning top, and got SO
pugnac2ogs that he struck at whoever
happened to be near him. It's influence
on such chosen souls as Coleridge and
Southey was hy no means brilliant. They
jumped and skipped about the room,
laughing idlotically, every gleam Il IN
telligence fading from their faces.
The experiment upon himself, hy which
Dayy proved that hydrocarbonate acts as
sedatiye, was ieartullv daring It was
ID too.nafdY hravado that was the mo-
tive power with him, but the love OF sci
entltic investigation. lie SAYS lie was
anxious t. compare effects with those Of
nitrous oxide Embolienei by
frs experiment, from which he
let no excessively painful results, he
introduced tor quarts Ut Gas into 4
silk BAG. After i forced exhaustion Of
tie lungs, and tie nose being accurately
closed. he made three hreathings Of the
Ayarocarbonate. The first produced q
feeling Of numbness: the second took
away tie poser Of vision and enteebled
fheo.hes senses; the third sent hlm away
ii swoon and just left him power 70
throw away the tube from his lips. After
short interval he recovered little, aud
vas able = whisper i don't think |
shaH die Placing 15s finger on lis
wrist, he found lis pulse beating with
excessive gackness, II about 1 minute
he Yas .o5e II walk, Hnt for an hour was
Neaiz and ysddy, ard conscious oi p.in-
t55 prs ife na his lest.