Pieces of beef, each weighing about two drachms, were separately
infused in the different tinctures of Peruvian bark, snake root,
Columbo, and contrayerva, prepared with lime, lime water, and distilled
water, as in the preceding experiments; and the bottles containing
them were exposed for two days to a degree of heat equal to that of
the human blood. They were afterwards suffered to remain without any
artificial heat, the temperature of the air being warm. The tincture of
Columbo prepared with quick-lime was the only one not tried, the bottle
containing it having been broken.
After thirty-six hours infusion they were all sweet, except the
infusion of Columbo in distilled water, which began to emit a
disagreeable, though not putrid foetor. The beef in it, and in the
tincture of the same root in lime water, was swelled, and whiter than
before infusion. That in the tincture of bark prepared with quick-lime,
had its texture greatly destroyed, was of a chocolate colour, but
sweet. That in aqua calcis, the same in colour, shrivelled, firm,
and sweet. The pieces of beef in the tinctures of snake root and of
contrayerva with quick-lime, had more the appearance of calf's lights
than of beef, were quite spongy, but had acquired no putrid smell.
Those in the lime and distilled water, firm, and shewing no signs of
putrescency.
On the fifth day the infusion of Columbo in lime water was very
offensive, though the beef when taken out of it was not putrid. That of
the same root with distilled water had made no further progress. The
tincture of snake root in distilled water was grown turbid, and had
lost colour, which it seemed to have imparted to the beef. This and all
the others continued sweet.
On the tenth day the beef in the distilled water and Columbo, as on the
fifth. That in the lime water and Columbo, putrid.
The contrayerva infusion in distilled water had acquired a disagreeable
foetor, but the beef was not yet putrid. That with lime water and
that with quick-lime still sweet.
The infusion of bark with distilled water smelled rather musty; the
beef in it sweet. The two infusions of the same with lime and lime
water shewed no further change.
The tincture of snake root in distilled water had a scum on the
surface; beef not putrid. The other two tinctures of the same root
unchanged.
On the eleventh day, the beef in the infusions of Columbo and of
contrayerva in distilled water beginning to putrefy, and
On the fourteenth day, both entirely putrid. The infusion of bark in
distilled water mouldy, but the beef sweet.
The beef in the snake root and distilled water, putrid on the sixteenth
day; and the infusion of contrayerva with lime water beginning to be
offensive, but the beef in it not yet putrid; but
On the nineteenth it was quite putrefied. The snake root infusion in
lime water, mouldy on its surface; no change in the beef; but this
likewise became putrid in a few days more.
The remaining tinctures, viz. those of the bark, snake root, and
contrayerva with quick-lime, and that of the bark with lime water,
remained above five weeks without any further change. Some time
after, the beef in the snake root became septic. The other three were
unaltered at the end of six weeks from their first immersion; and
though the infusion of bark in distilled water was very mouldy, the
beef in it was free from any putrid foetor. But it should be observed
that all the tinctures in the preparation of which quick-lime had been
added to the lime water, had a peculiar odour during the whole time,
from which the others were exempt.
From this experiment we may conclude that lime water, when used in
such a quantity in extracting the virtues of vegetables, as not to
be saturated with the fixed air it receives from them, _strongly_
counteracts putrefaction, though it at the same time destroys the
texture of animal bodies exposed to its action. But when employed for
the same purposes, in such proportion as to be fully saturated with
air; it abstracts nothing from, but rather increases the antiseptic
power of the vegetable; nor does animal flesh immersed in tinctures
thus prepared, suffer any diminution in the cohesion of its fibres.