Humphry Davy's Pioneering Study on Breathing Nitrous Oxide Gas
Researches, Chemical and Philosophical; Chiefly Concerning Nitrous Oxide, or Dephlogisticated Nitrous Air, and Its Respiration
Research hubs: Respiratory System · Brain & Nervous System
- Authors
- Humphry Davy
- Journal
- J. Johnson, London, by Biggs and Cottle, Bristo
- Study Type
- Human
- Delivery
- Gas
- Outcome
- Neutral
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- United Kingdom
TL;DR
Davy used hydrogen in human self-experiments on respiration and found that brief inhalation produced transient unpleasant symptoms but caused no measurable alteration or apparent absorption of the hydrogen itself.
Summary
Davy investigated hydrogen as part of his broader experimental work on respiratory gases, principally to provide a comparison with nitrous oxide. He generated hydrogen from iron and dilute acids, assessed its purity, and inhaled measured quantities himself. In one experiment he breathed approximately 102 cubic inches of hydrogen for less than half a minute through seven rapid respirations; in another he breathed approximately 182 cubic inches during six inspirations. He reported difficulty sustaining hydrogen breathing, uncomfortable sensations in the chest, transient loss of muscular power, and occasional dizziness. Chemical analysis of the expired gas showed hydrogen mixed with residual respiratory gases, and Davy concluded from his experiments that no ascertainable change was produced in hydrogen by respiration. Unlike Cavallo and Beddoes, this hydrogen work was primarily physiological and experimental rather than an attempt to demonstrate a therapeutic benefit.