PRIMARr ANIMAL FLUIDS. S'^ 



IS formed by the nitrate of filver a6ting on the muriate of foda 

 is in ihe form of a greyifli powder, and fubfides more rapidly 

 than it did in the former inflance, where it produced a white, 

 ^aky precipitate. 



I found that a folution of albumen of the fame flrength with —and n*tro-ma- 

 that employed in the lafl experiment, was immediately decom-'^'^ e or go , 

 pofed by the nitro-muriate of gold. One drop of this metal- 

 lic folution inftantly produced a denfe while precipitate in 100 

 drops of water, containing only —q. of a grain of albumen. 



Albumen in a concentrated tlate is powerfully coagulated— ^<i a^*"*** 

 by alum ; I found however, that this re-agent is not fo accu- 

 rate a teti of its prefence when in a diluted flate, as fome of 

 thofe which I had already employed : -j grain of albumen, 

 dilfolved in 100 grains of water, was indeed rendered flightly 

 turbid by the addition of a few drops of a faturated folution of 

 alum, but no precipitate was formed. 



Before I conclude my account of thefe experiments I muft Obs. on the fo- 

 obferve, that the flrength of the folution of albumen v^is'in 'u^'on of all>*i- 

 all cafes rather lefs than my eflimale. Wlien I added the al- 

 bumen to the water, a fmall portion of it always remained in- 

 foiuble, and this was feparated from the fluid by filtration be- 

 fore the experiments were performed. This infoluble part I 

 fuppofed to confift of the membranous matter, with which it 

 is faid that the white of the egg is interfered. The quantity 

 was indeed aimoft too fmall to be appreciated, but where it is 

 defirable to attain as much accuracy as poffible, I think it ne- 

 CelTary to mention every circuraftance which may in the fraalleft 

 degree affefl the refult. 



The experiments related above will, I conceive, indicate Remarks, The 

 with a fulficient degree of accuracy, the prefence of ^U^iinier^ Jeaf ■'s^a'^'^o^^ 

 as a conftituent of an animal fluid. The property of being diaindive cha- 

 coaguiated by heat is a charafteriftic of this fubfiance, which "^*^^°^ *^'' 

 will always lerve as a mark ot diicrimination, and we have 

 found that this property is notdeflroyed by dilution with 1000 

 times its weight of water. This therefore may be confidered 

 as a tefl: of its prefence jninufe enough for all praftical pur- 

 pofes. We have alfo found that there are feveral re-agents 

 which poflfefs the power of precipitating it from its folution in 

 water, while exifling only in liie fame proportion. It will be 

 necelTary, however, to obferve their operation upon the other 

 animal fubftances before we can determine their ufe in the 

 analyfisof compound fluids. 



