Volume 2

The plague at Marseilles consider'd: with remarks upon the plague in general, shewing its cause and nature of infection, with necessary precautions to prevent the spreading of that direful distemper ... Also some observations taken from an original manuscript of a graduate physician who resided in London during the whole time of the late plague, anno 1665 ... / [Richard Bradley].

  • Bradley, Richard, 1688-1732
Date:
1721
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The plague at Marseilles consider'd: with remarks upon the plague in general, shewing its cause and nature of infection, with necessary precautions to prevent the spreading of that direful distemper ... Also some observations taken from an original manuscript of a graduate physician who resided in London during the whole time of the late plague, anno 1665 ... / [Richard Bradley]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    '[ 45 ] all the Grofler Parts from the Air enclos’d in the Tub, the reft grows hot and fuffbeating, by being too much rarified. From whence I fuppofe, a Room of Nine or Ten Foot Cube, will contain Air enough to keep a lingle Man alive for one Day, but if two were to inhabit that Space for the fame time, each would receive but half his Nourifliment, and fo both would be Suffe¬ rers; but a Room, perhaps, containing twice that Space, might well enough ferve five Peo¬ ple for a Day, fuppofing that all External Air was kept from Communication with fuch a Room, during the time the-People were in ic; for, as I have obferv’d, that Air has cer¬ tain Nburlhing Qualities in it, for the Mainte¬ nance of Human Life; fo when thofe Nou- rifliing Parts are imbibed, and drawn in by the Lungs, the Air is return’d and flung out as invalid, and cannot be of Ufe a fecond Time tothefamePerfon; anExampleof which,we find very curioufly demonftrated by Mr.M?w- yentyte; he tells us, that in making this Expe¬ riment, he difeover’d that the fame Nouriflii ng. Quality in the Air, which is neceflary to main¬ tain Human Life, is alfo neceflary to maintain Flame, which he proves thus: A lighted Candle being fet under a Bell, clofely fix’d upon a Table, will burn perhaps a Minute or two in Proportion to the Quantity of Air pent up with the Candle in the Bell; but as foon as the Quality in that Air, which is neceflTary to feed the Flame, is exhaufted, the