Cuar. VL] DIGESTION. 107 
The secretion, as we have seen, completely dissolves 
albumen, muscle, fibrin, areolar tissue, cartilage, the fibrous 
basis of bone, gelatine, chondrin, casein in the state in which it 
exists in milk, and gluten which has been subjected to weak 
hydrochloric acid. Syntonin and legumin excite the leaves 
so powerfully and quickly that there can hardly be a doubt 
that both would be dissolved by the secretion. T'he secretion 
failed to digest fresh gluten, apparently from its injuring 
the glands, though some was absorbed. Raw meat, unless 
in very small bits, and large pieces of albumen, &c., likewise 
injure the leaves, which seem to suffer, like animals, from 
a surfeit. I know not whether the analogy is a real one, 
but it is worth notice that a decoction of cabbage leaves is 
fur more exciting and probably nutritious to Drosera than 
an infusion made with tepid water ; and boiled cabbages are 
far more nutritious, at least to man, than the uncooked 
leaves. The most striking of all the cases, though not really 
more remarkable than many others, is the digestion of so 
hard and tough a substance as cartilage. The dissolution of 
pure phosphate of lime, of bone, dentine, and especially 
enamel, seems wonderful; but it depends merely on the 
jong-continued secretion of an acid; and this is secreted for a 
longer time under these circumstances than under any other. 
It was interesting to observe that as long as the acid was 
consumed in dissolving the phosphate of lime, no true di- 
gestion occurred; but that as soon as the bone was completely 
decalcified, the fibrous basis was attacked and liquefied with 
the greatest ease. The twelve substances above enumerated, 
which are completely dissolved by the secretion, are likewise 
dissolved by the gastric juice of the higher animals; and 
they are acted on in the same manner, as shown by the 
rounding of the angles of albumen, and more especially by 
the manner in which the transverse striæ of the fibres of 
muscle disappear. 
The secretion of Drosera and gastric juice were both able to 
dissolve some element or impurity out of the globulin and 
hematin employed by me. The secretion also dissolved 
something out of chemically prepared casein which is said to 
consist of two substances; and although Schiff asserts that 
casein in this state is not attacked by gastric juice, he might 
easily have overlooked a minute quantity of some albu- 
minous matter, which Drosera would detect and absorb. 
Again, fibro-cartilage, though not properly dissolved, is 
