203
may. 9. 1678.
m
r. Henshaw the vice president tooke the chair.
The minutes of the La
st Day being read gaue occa
sion of much Di
scourse
concerning Re
spiration and of w
t. v
se
. . . the air might be for conti
=nuing sense motion & life.
S
r. Iohn Hoskins was of opinion that the v
se of the lungs might be to
alter, prepare, and /dispo
se/
fit the air soe as to ^ /separate a part thereof & make it/
be fitt for mixing w
th the -
blood as it pa
ssed through them somew
t. analogous to tho
se opera
tions
of w
ch. are performed by other vi
scera vpon other
liquors /juices/ of the
body. and for separating al
so at the same time a part from the blood
as the Liuer separates the gall.
the kidneys the Vrine &c.
The vice president was of opinion that a principall v
se of them was
for the promoting of the circulation of the blood.
To w
ch. It was objected that the motion of the Lungs were not at
all nece
ssary to the circulation becau
se a Dog could liue though
his Lungs were kept mouele
sse by /being/ continually blown up and kept
extended by a pair of Bellowes. - more ouer that a Dog would be
kept aliue though the Lungs were not kept fully extended prouided
there were a continuall bla
st of air that pa
ssed through them. And
farther that a creature would be stifled and Dye though his Lungs
did moue if it did not breath fresh air.
It was therefore concluded that
it was the principall v
se of Re
spirati
owas for the mixing the
air nitrous part of the air w
th. the blood
w
ch. part of the air being once spent and separated from it the Remaining part
thereof was altogether v
se le
sse for that purpo
se
To this it was objected that if there were such a con
stant & continuall nece
ssity of fre
sh air how came it that the foetus included in the secundine as
was Lately mentiond would continue to liue though it had noe such
supply of fre
sh nitrous parts of the air from the Lungs which would
not moue at all
And m
r. Henshaw
related mentiond the person in Sweth land (of w
chthere is a fuller account vpon some of the bookes of the Society
who being Drowned & frozen vp in Ice for a con
siderable time
was afterwards Digged out, /thawed/
vnfrozen & brought to life againe
and had been seen by many in sweth land w
th whom he had spoken
m
r Sheirhelme
m
r Collins mentiond Pecklines hi
story.
Ref: CELL/RS/HF_205 © Centre for Editing Lives and Letters
