Report to the Local Government Board / by R. Angus Smith.

  • Smith, Robert Angus, 1817-1884.
Date:
1882
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report to the Local Government Board / by R. Angus Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/136 (page 10)
    30 Many organic fluids were tried, but the same rapidity was not obtained by any other, although nitrogen was found escaping from blood, egg albumen, and flour paste in the same conditions, that is, the putrefactive state being overpowered by nitre. It did not, however, escape so rapidly as in the liquid mentioned previously. The nitrate of potash was decomposed and ceased to be found in the liquid. Sulphuretted hydrogen did not exist, or it was found in minute quantities only, and it was clear that the action was entirely difierent from putrefaction simple. The gas was frequently collected, and it was found to contain very little, sometimes only a trace of, carbonic acid. At the same time the action seemed to be caused by organisms ; that is, it took place in liquids which had a great amount of organic matter ready to assert itself. And this I leave for the moment, under a belief that this may be a kind of fermentation; certainly it seems a very new kind. It is like a reversed putrefaction, and must be carefully noted down in considering the action of disinfectants. This action not being quite the same as that found by Schloesing, where nitrogen was slowly given out, I put down here many of the experiments to illustrate it:— 1. 1100 c. c. of water, containing 10 per cent, of excreta (concentrated by Fryer's apparatus), gave off no gas during 2^ months. 2. 1100 c. c. of water, containing 10 per cent, of excreta and 2 grms. KNO3 (nitre), commenced to give off gas after 12 hours. The gas collected over water N = 98-4 per cent. CO2 = 1*6 per cent. 3. 1100 c. c. of water, containing 10 per cent, of excreta and 2 grms. nitre, gave off 218 c. c. of pure nitrogen when collected over water. (2 grms. nitre contain 220'6 c. c. N.) 4. 340 c. c. of water, containing 10 per cent, excreta and 0'6 grm. nitre per litre, gave off 14-8 c. c. nitrogen collected over water. (The nitre contained 18*7 c. c.) 5. 350 c. c. of water, containing 10 per cent, excreta and I'O grm. nitre per litre, gave off 38 c. c. N collected over water. (The niti-e contained 37 4 c. c.) 6. 350 c. c. of water, containing 10 per cent, excreta and 0- 25 grm. nitre per litre, gave off 7-5 c. c. N collected over water. (The nitre contained 9C c. c.) 7. 340 c. c. of water, containing 10 per cent, excreta and 1- 0 grm. nitre per litre, gave off 38-0 c. c. N collected over water. (The nitre contained 374 c. c.) 8. 320 c. c. of water, containing 10 per cent, excreta (fresh sample) and 0*5 grm. nitre, gave off 53'8 c. c. N collected over water. (The nitre contained 55*1 c. c.) 9. 330 c. c. of water, containing 10 per cent, excreta (as No. 8) and 1-0 grm. nitre. Gas collected over water was nitrogen only. 10. 6 GO c. c. of water, containing 10 per cent, excreta (as No. 8) and 5*0 grms. nitre. Gas collected over water was nitrogen only.