Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Sales catalogue 632: Maggs Bros. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![Davy (Sir Humphry): 22 A.L.S. to Dr. Marcet—continued. The Theory is a difficult story: chemical changes result from electrical powers in it, or they may be reformed to one cause, but copper and zinc act by an energy which is not purely chemical. It is electrical when they effect each other as masses, chemical when they combine. I am writing a little book ‘Rudiments of what is known on this subject in its connection with chemistry.’ It will be a very humble effort, for we are entirely ignorant of the real nature of things, just in twilight indistinctly seeing what is, & merely guessing what may be.” “I am much obliged to you for affording me an opportunity of sending a copy of my last paper. I am not sure that Mr. Pietet has received a copy of my Bakerian lecture; if he has perhaps he will be so good as to give the copy I send with this to Mr. Berthollet sores rh a I agree with you that the name is exceptionable; but sulphureous acid bleaches, & Potassium, Phosphorus, Pyrophorus inflame in oxygere. I have still doubts, I shall leave the name for the next chemical meeting to decide upon >? BF pallet Baia de I have had a letter from Dr. Wollaston in which he proposes the name demuriatic gas & demuriates for the oxym®. gas & its compounds; but these terms I am not inclined to adopt. Muriatic acid is only one of the compounds of this body & it would be perpetuating error to give it any compound name derived from one of its compounds. The oxymuriatic gas bears no more relation to muriatic acid than oxygene does to sulphuric acid & surely it would not be tolerated to call oxygene decitriolic gas or desulphuric gas. I have reconsidered your objection to chlorine & it strikes me less forcibly than at first. I would not make colour the basis for nomenclature; but some simple property. Now there is no other green gas known, but if another should be discovered, this must have some other charac- teristic quality from which its name might be derived. Achraine which would signify destructive of colour might be applied to sulphureous acid; & I think this name not quite so good because not quite so simple as the other aay “I hope you will write me & tell me that you are as usual promoting the progress of chemistry, by your labours & exhortations. For myself, I work a good deal & I am just now employed upon the volcanic matters I brought from Vesuvius. The most remarkable circum- stance that struck me in the phenomena of that volcano is the enormous quantity of muriatic acid gas disengaged from the crevices near the crater, the other elastic fluids are such as to indi- cate the influence of the atmosphere on the fuel that produces the fire. I propose to return to Italy to follow up my investigations in the winter.” Etc., etc. [74] DAWSON (Thomas). An Account of a Safe and Efficacious Medicine in Sore- Eyes and Eye-Lids. First Epirion. 16 pp., 8vo. Unbound. London, 1782. 12s 6d [75] DE LA GARDE (P.C.). A Treatise on Cataract, intended to determine the opera- tions required by different forms of that disease, on physiological principles. 8vo. Unbound. London, 1821. 10s 6d A presentation copy from the Author, inscribed on the half-title : — “A. TA. flamulton, Esq. with the author’s best respects.” [76] THE DESCRIPTION of a Moste Dreadfull and Mervelous Monster Borne in Manchester within the County of Lancaster upon Tusdaye being the fourtenth of August last past. 1579. Printed on one side of a folio leaf, with the title as given above, followed by large cut of the “ Monster,” and beneath a full description. Printed in Buack Letrer. Imprinted at London for Toby Coke, [1579]. £42 A very remarkable and unrecorded Elizabethan Broadside of Medical interest. [77] DOMINICETI (Bartholomew di). An Address of Bartholomew di Dominiceti, Physician from Venice, to the Most Illustrious and Venerable Royal Society of London. Small 8vo. Unbound. London: J. Towers, 1764. 6s [78] [DOSSIE, (Robert) ]. A Refutation of the Remarks on the Institutes of Experi- mental Chemistry: In a Letter addressed to the Members of the Society for the En- couragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. FIRST EDITION. 8vo. Unbound. London: J. Nourse, 1760. 15s [18 J](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b31663345_0020.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
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