An elementary compendium of physiology : for the use of students / by F. Magendie ; translated from the French with copious notes, tables, and illustrations, by E. Milligan.

  • Magendie, François, 1783-1855. Précis élémentaire de physiologie. English
Date:
1829
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An elementary compendium of physiology : for the use of students / by F. Magendie ; translated from the French with copious notes, tables, and illustrations, by E. Milligan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.

    536/710 (page 484)
    cannot be doubted tliat both in the secretions and in the process of nutrition, combinations of this sort take place in the organs. By means of these two sources of heat, life can be maintained though the external temperature is very low, as that of winter in the countries near the pole, which descends sometimes to—42° F. Generally such an excessive cold is not supported without great difficulty, and it often happens that the parts most easily cooled are mortified : many of the military suffered these accidents in the wars of Russia. Nevertheless, as we easily resist a temperature much lower than our own, it is evident that we are possessed of the faculty of producing heat to a great degree. Means of re- The faculty of producing' cold, or, in more exact terms, of re- sisting strong _ J 1 ° heat- sisting foreign heat which has a tendency to enter our organs, is more confined. In the torrid zone, it has happened that men have died suddenly when the temperature has approached 122° F. But this property is not less real, though limited. MM. Banks, Blagden, and Fordyce, having exposed themselves to a heat of nearly 260° F., they found that their bodies had preserved nearly their own temperature. More recent experiments of MM. Berger and Delaroche have shown, that by this cause the heat of the body may rise several degrees : for this to take place, it is only neces- sary that the surrounding temperature sho uld be a little elevated. Having both placed themselves in a stove of 120°, their tempera- ture rose nearly 6*8 F. M. Delaroche haring remained sixteen minutes in a dry stove at 175°, his temperature rose 9° F. Franklin, to whom the physical and moral sciences are indebted for many important discoveries, and a great many ingenious views, was the first who discovered the reason why the body thus resists such a strong heat. lie showed that this effect was due to the evaporation of the cutaneous and pulmonary transpiration, and that in this respect the bodies of animals resemble the porous vases called alcarrazas. These vessels, which are used in hot countries, allow the water that they contain to sweat through them ; their surface is always humid, and a rapid evaporation takes place, which cools the liquid they contain. Experiments In order to prove this important result, M. Delaroche placed upon animal anjma]s ;n a jlot atmosphere, that was so saturated with humidity that no evaporation could take place. Ihese animals could not support a heat, but a little greater than their own, without perish-