An annual oration pronounced before the Humane Society of Philadelphia, on the objects & benefits of said institution : the 28th day of February, 1799 / by Doctr. Benjamin Say, president of the society, &c. &c.

  • Say, Benjamin, 1755-1813.
Date:
MDCCXCIX [1799]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An annual oration pronounced before the Humane Society of Philadelphia, on the objects & benefits of said institution : the 28th day of February, 1799 / by Doctr. Benjamin Say, president of the society, &c. &c. 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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    [ <5 ] that they may be even broken to pieces; yet a fpark remains, fecreted in fome unknown and obfcure recefs of their nature, which like a little leaven hidden in three meafures of meal, is capa- ble of enlivening the whole mafs. Although we cannot deduce conclufive arguments from analogy, yet from this view of the fubject, may we not imagine that man is capable, by a proper application of means, of being refufcitated af- ter a date of apparent death from froft for feve- ral hours; but in this cafe, although warmth is one of the greatefl: enlivening principles, itought to be communicated regularly and gradually, or the very fmall flock of life which is treafured up, will be entirely exhaufted, and unequivocal and abfolute death enfue. From the days of Heraditus the famous Ephefian Philofopher, who flourifhed about the 69th Olympiad, in the time of Darius Hyftafpes King of Perfia,* who taught as the fundamental do&rine of his philofophy, that fire or heat is the principle of all things ; down to the pre- fent day, a great deal has been written, and much invefligation has taken place by Phyfiologifts and men of Science, in order to difcover the princi- ples of life in animals. Some have paid great attention to the incubation of an Egg, to * In the year 522 B. C. C