The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1880-02-20
A CHEMISTS COURAGE.

A CHEMISTS COURAGE.
Some Anecdotes illustrating Sir
Humphrey Davy Daring.
Temple Bar.
The same moral and physical cour-
age 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 cauterizing the wound with his
own hands, was exhibited in his chem
ical Investigations. His discovery that
nitrous gas, the vapor of aquafortis, is
not injurious to health, resulted from
experiments on his own life. He OBJ
tained the gas In a state of purity, and
though very well aware of the danger
he ran if the received theory Of its
deadly powers was true, which he
doubted, he resolved to inhaie 1t 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 a
sense Of giddiness, accompanied with
loss of sensation and volition, a state
analogous to intoxication, ts attended, !"
as he says, ssby a highly pleasurable
thrilling in the chest and limbs.
The objects around became dazzling
and my hearing more acute. Toward
the last inspiration the sense of muscu.
lar power became greater, and at last
an irresistible propensity to action was
INDUCED in. My gesticulations were
various and violent. In ten minutes
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 person under
the influence of this gas. He drank a
bottle of wine in about eight minutes.
81 perceived" says he, ga sense of
fulness in the head and throbbing of the
arteries. I lost the power of speech,
and was unable to stand steadily. In
an hour sank into state of insensibili-
ty, in which I remained for two hours
and half. I was awakened by severe
headache and nausea, and my bodily
and mental debility were excessive.
In this state I breathed five quarts of
gas for minute and half, but it
must have been impure, for it had no
effect" He then respired twelve
quarts of oxygen for nearly four min
utes, without any material change in
his sensations. The severe headache
continuing, he respired seven quarts
of quite pure nitrous oxide for two and
spiration the headache vanished.
Brilliant ideas passed through his
mind. He jumped and danced across
the room but languor and depression
succeeded, which gradually wore off
toward evening. In his treatise 'sCon-
cerning Nitrous Oxide," he records
its amusing effects on several of his
friends. One of them danced about
like spinning top, and got so pugna-
cious that he struck at whoever hap
pened to be near him. Its 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 Intelligence fading from
their faces.
The experiment on himself, by which
Davy proved that hydrocarbonate acts
as sedative, was fearfally daring. 1t
was no foolhardy bravado that was
the motive power with him, but a
love of scientific Investigation. He
says he was anious to compare its
effects with those of nitrous oxide.
Emboldened by a first experiment,
from which he felt no excessively pain
fal results, he introduced four quarts
of the gas into silk bag. After a
forced exhaustion of the lungs and
the nose being accurately closed, he
made three breathings of the hydro
carbonate. The first produced feel
ing of numbness the second took
away the power 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 a short interval he
recovered a little, and was able to
whisper: 'I do not think shall die"
Placing his finger on his wrist, he
found his pulse beating with excessive
quickness. In about minute he was
able to walk, but for an hour was weak
and giddy and conscious Of painful
pressure upon the chest.
In comparing the chess congress of
this year with that of 1850, it is inn
possible not to recall the melancholy
fate of the marvellous American youth
who was, perhaps, the greatest of all
chess players of any age or cline. In
those days, when the New World was
i,,sf r iror ifc prou,ooc foff ~, Tho nI.l