The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-03-25
A Chemists Courage.

The same moral and physical courage
which Davy displayed in his youth by
deliberately taking out his pocket-knife
and excising q part OF his leg, which
had been bitten by mad dog, and eau
terizing the wound with his own hands,
was exhibited in his chemical investi-
cations. His discovery that nitrous gas,
the vapor Of squafortis, is not injurious
TO health, resulted from experiments on
his own life. He obtained the gas IN 3
state Of purity, and though very we'll
: aware Of the danger he ran II the re-
ceived theory Of its deadly powers was
true, which be doubted, be resolved to
inhale it in its pure form. Gradually
increasing the dose, he ultimately sue
eeeded in breathing four quarts OF the
gas from and into a silk bag. He eXpe-
rienced a sense Of giddiness, Rccompa-
MED with loss Of sensation and vOlition,
3 state analogous 10 intOxicauon, Sat
tended" as be says, 'by a highly pleas
urable thrilling ia the chest and limbs
The objects around became dazzling aud
my hearing more acute. Toward the
last inspiration the sense Of muscular
power become greater, and st last an ir-
resistible propensity 10 action was in
dulged in. My gesticulations were vari-
Gus and violent. In ten minutes / had
recovered my natural state Of mind"
And what are we to say OF the follow
ing experiment, at which he was again
operator and subject. He was curious
to know what effect drink would have
on a person under the influence OF this
gas. He drank a bottle Of wine in about
eight minutes. 81 perceived" says lie,
ga sense OF fullness in the head and
thrObbing OF the arteries. / lost the
power Of speech, and was unable to
stand steadily. In an hour I sank into
q state Of inseDsibility, in which / re-
mEined for two hours and half. | was
awakened by severe headache and uaU-
sea, and my bodily and mental debility
were excessive. In this state / breathed
five quarts Of gas for a minute aud a
half, but it must have been impure, for
It lad no effect" He then respired
twelve quarts of oxygen for nearly four
minutes, without any material change
in his sensations. The severe headache
continuing, he respired seven quarts Of
quite pure nitrous oxide for two and a
half minutes. Alter the third respirs-
tiOn, the headache vanished. Brilliant
ideas passed through his mind. He
jumped and danced across the room; but
languOr and depression succeeded, which
gradually wore of toward evening. IL
mis- treatise "COncerning Nitrous Ok
ide," be records its amusing effects OF
several Of his friends. One OF then
danced about like q spinning top, anI
got so pugnacious that he struck at who
ever happened to be near him It's in
huence on such chosen souls as COleridgl
and SDuthey was by no means brilliant
They jumped and skipped about til,
room, laughing idiotically, every CLEAN
of intelligence fading from their faces.
The experiment oil himself by which
Davy proved that hydrocarbouate Rct
as a sedstive, was fsarfully daring.
wes no foOlhariy hravado that was thi
motive power with him, but a love o
scientific investigation. lie says u,
was anxious TO compare its effects witt
those Of nitrous oxide. EmbOldened bJ
fret experiment, from which he fel
no excessively painful results, lie intro
duced four quarts Of the gas into a sill
bag. After forced exhaustion Of ths
lungs and the nose being accurately
closed, be made three breathings of the
hydrocarbonate. The FIST produced 4
feeling Of numbness; the second tool
away the power Of vision aud enfeebleC
the other senses; the third sent hin
away in 8 swOOu aud just LEFT bin pOweI
10 throw away the tube from his lips
After a short interval he recovered 4
little and was able to whisper: 81 dS
not think / shall die.n Placing hj:
finger on his wrist, he found lis pulls,
beating with excessive guickucss. Ii
about a minute he was able TO walk, bu
for an hour was weak aud g,ddy anC
conscious Of a painful pressure upon thu
chest.-Iemple Bar.