ity
College, _Cambridge_; that worthy Gentleman tells me, that the Herb
_Parietaria_, or _Peletory of the Wall_, is a Sovereign Remedy against the
_Wevil_ in Corn or Malt; and according to the Information he has had, an
Handful of that Plant being laid here and there in a Granary infected by
those Insects, will infallibly destroy them in a Day or two; which
Discovery is so useful, that I think it ought to be made as publick as
possible, and in this place serves to confirm my Hypothesis, That the
Effluvia of some Plants are Destructive to Insects.

In the next place I come to consider, how much a certain Quantity of Air
is requisite to preserve a single Animal Body, and the Knowledge of that,
is what I account one of the chief Preservatives of Health. I have often
been concern'd to find a Family of six or seven pinn'd up in a Room, that
has not contain'd Air enough for the Maintenance of Health in one single
Person; but such is the Hardship of our Poor in many Places, and is
frequently the Occasion of their Death.

We may easily conceive how this happens, if we examine the Case of the
Diving Tub, how short a while a Man can live it, without a Supply of fresh
Air; the occasion of which is, that when he has drawn in with his Breath,
all the Grosser Parts from the Air enclos'd in the Tub, the rest grows hot
and suffocating, by being too much rarified.

From whence I suppose, a Room of Nine or Ten Foot Cube, will contain Air
enough to keep a single Man alive for one Day, but if two were to inhabit
that Space for the same time, each would receive but half his Nourishment,
and so both would be Sufferers; but a Room, perhaps, containing twice that
Space, might well enough serve five People for a Day, supposing that all
External Air was kept from Communication with such a Room, during the time
the People were in it; for, as I have observ'd, that Air has certain
Nourishing Qualities in it, for the Maintenance of Human Life; so when
those Nourishing Parts are imbibed, and drawn in by the Lungs, the Air is
return'd and flung out as invalid, and cannot be of Use a second Time to
the same Person; an Example of which, we find very curiously demonstrated
by Mr. _Newyentyte_; he tells us, that in making this Experiment, he
discover'd that the same Nourishing Quality in the Air, which is necessary
to maintain Human Life, is also necessary to maintain Flame, which he
proves thus:

A lighted Candle being set under a Bell, closely fix'd