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This important Subject deferves more con-
fideration, and it is wifhed, that Dr.
BEDDOES, who firft brought this Subject
into repute in ENGLAND, would exa-
mine minutely into it, and extend this
principal Branch of modern Medicine,
-
A Description of the ROTIFER, or Wheel-
Polypus,
One of these was expofed a whole Summer
to the noon day Sun, and it became fo dry,
that it was like a Piece of hardened
Glue,
A few Drops of WATER being sprinkled on
it, the Rotifer foon recovered Life, and all
the outward Actions of Life,
Here the WATER When it comes into contact
with the animated Fibre is decompofed,
and the OXYGEN it contains combines
with the Fibres of the Rotifer, restores to it
its Irritability, and Organic Motion, of
which it had been before deprived by the
exceffive Stimulus of Heat,
Thus, the Microscopical Eels, which are found
dry and withered in fmutty Wheat, are
refufcitated effectually by the fimple Pre-
fence of WATER,
400
401
402
ib.
It is faid that there are venomous Snakes in PERU, which being to all appearance dead, and even when dried in the Smoke of a Chimney, have the Property of coming again to Life by expofure to WATER,
[The Seta Equina had lost almost all its Bulk
and Weight, and become like a bruised
and dry Straw: Its Skin had shrunk fo as
to leave no fenfible Cavity; and it had no
longer any Sign of Life and Motion,
(I returned it, fays FONTANA, in that State
into WATER, where, in less than half an
Hour, it recovered its Bulk and Weight, and
foon afterwards difcovered unequivocal and
permanent Signs of Life,
I have fince found, fays he, a Number of
other small Animals, either on the Tops
of Houses, in Earths, or in Water, which,
in the fame way, alternately lose and re-
cover the Use of their Organs on being
dried, and afterwards immersed in WA- TER,
433
The fore Feet of a land Turtle was pierced
with an American Arrow. In two Hours
it appeared dead,
405
After an interval of ten Hours the inner
Shell was removed with all poffible
Care,
The
The Heart was ftill, but after this Opera-
tion being moistened by oxygenated Blood,
it recovered all its Force, and continued
in ftrong Action for fix Hours inceffantly, 405
The fore Foot of a land Turtle was next
pierced with an American Arrow,
f In
In eight Minutes it could scarce move, and in a Quarter of an Hour it was to all appear-
ance dead,
When the FEET and NECK were stimulated,
they discovered only a flight Degree of Sen-
fation, -
The HEART was quite motionless, and upon being touched fcarcely contracted,
On freeing it of its Membranes, I was fur- prifed, fays FONTANA, at feeing it move very briskly, and it continued to do so for feveral Hours,
I then covered it with the inner Shell, and in
twenty four Hours, I found it again motion-
lefs,
{I pricked it with a Needle, and it contracted
itself once,
I left it exposed to the AIR, and in three Mi-
nutes it began to move of itself, and con-
tinued a very brifk Motion for several
Hours,
406
I covered
covered it again with the Shell, and upon
uncovering it four Hours after, I found it
motionless, -
I then expofed it to pure Air, and in a short
Time, and of itself, it recovered its Ofcilla-
tions, which continued for fix Hours,
again covered it with the Shell, and on un-
covering it two Hours after, I found it
without Motion,
I then covered it with Water, which I kept
on it for ten Minutes, without its pro-
ducing any Change,
VOL. III.
I drained off the Water, and the Heart was
fcarcely left in the Air a Minute, when it
began afresh to move briskly, and continued
to do fo feveral Hours,
This Succeffion of Motion in the Turtle, de-
prived of its IRRITABILITY by the Poison
of the Ticunas, which was produced by the
fimple Contact of ATMOSPHERIC AIR, if
it does not decifively prove, that the IR-
RITABLE PRINCIPLE is the OXYGEN of the
Air, it nevertheless goes to prove, that the
Air is a very active Principle in awakening
the IRRITABILITY of the Mufcular Fibres
and of the Heart, as was maintained in
Sect. XXII. Vol. I. of this Work,
d
407
SECT.
SECT. XXXVII. LAW III. A DEFECTIVE
STIMULATION OF ANY ORGAN AC-
CUMULATES IRRITABILITY IN THE
MOVING FIBRES.
The Blood-veffels, the Stomach, and Inteftines,
are in CONSTANT MOTION from the Stimuli
appropriated to them,
The Muscles, even when not acted upon by
the nervous Electricity, are nevertheless in
CONSTANT ACTION, as is feen in the Tremor
of old Men, in the Palfy of the Head, and
from the Contraction of antagonist Muscles,
when those which counterpoise them
are cut through, or lose their Action from
fome paralytic affection,
{The
The IRRITABLE PRINCIPLE, therefore, is in
continual Action,
[The continued Actions going on in organized
animated Beings expend the IRRITABLE
PRINCIPLE, whether that be OXYGEN de-
rived from the Blood, ELECTRICITY, or
SOME AS YET UNPERCEIVED POWER in the
Fibre,
408
409