An oration, on the improvement of medicine : pronuonced [sic] before a respectable auditory of citizens, in the Federal Hall in the city of New-York ; according to appointment of the Medical Society of the State of New-York : at their anniversary meeting, on the 16th January, 1794 / by Amasa Dingley, physician.

Dingley, Amasa, -1798

Date:: MDCCXCV [1795]

Credit: An oration, on the improvement of medicine : pronuonced [sic] before a respectable auditory of citizens, in the Federal Hall in the city of New-York ; according to appointment of the Medical Society of the State of New-York : at their anniversary meeting, on the 16th January, 1794 / by Amasa Dingley, physician. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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$Refpiration. The former has been almcft exhauflcd by the lurid experiments and by the ingenious and fuccefsful labours of Stevens, Spallanzani, Hunter, Senebier, and Carminati j and the latter has been happily elucidated by Prieflley, Crawford, Lavoifier and Girtannerf. The ftomnch and the fuccus gaftricus, afford an excel- lent leflbn of ihftruftitin. Who would not wim to profit by it in all his enquiries > If we imitate the wonderful operations of the organ fo happily explained by the before- mentioned authors, we mail find, that many a bulky volume cf hypcthefes will pafs down the prima vU of our minds, without leaving more than a few fentences of ufeful truth, to invigorate the mind of the PhyficiaH in the acquisition of medical knowledge. These fa&s will foon induce us to believe, that error is the fole caufe of the milery of man. That the detection of error is the difcovery of truth, is an excellent aphorifm. A faithful detail of medical errors, properly managed, would have + Mr, Sirtanner's Theory of refpiration is briefly this : During refpiration the oxygene-gas of the atmolpliere is decompounded. One part of the oxygene unites with the venous blood and changes its dark co- lour into a fcarlet. Another part of the oxygene combines with the car- bone which is difengaged from the venous blood, and forms carbonic acid gas. A third portion of the oxygene connects itfelf with the carbone of the dark coloured mucus, which is feparated in the branches of the Trac- hea in confiderable quantity ; and in like manner turns to carbonic acid gas. A fourth portion of the oxygene, combines with the Hydrogene fe- parated from the venous blood, and conftitutes the watery exhalation ma- tnfeft in the breath. \* The caloric of the decompounded oxygene gas continues in part with the combined oxygene, and together with it, forms a combination with the venous blood ; and hence proceeds the greater quantity of calo- ric in the arterial than in the venous blocd, as Crawford has remarked Another part of the caloric goes into union with the carbonic acid gas A third part of it enters into the formation of the Halitus. '—The pro dufts of refpiration he enumerates are thele ; lft, a fluid animal oxyde arterial blocd. 2d, Carbonic acid pas. 3d, water. And 4th, a fma t]uant;ty of uncombined caloric. (Girtanncr, anfangtginnde des anti phlogiJUfchtn chemie, kap. xxxiv. 260 )$

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