ON BILE. 271 



acid) the whole of the albumen and oil were precipitated; the gave a fubfanc* 



p . , i i-^ *r which whea 



liquor being filtered, the oxide of lead and acetite were iepa- purc 



rated from it by means of fulphurated hidrogen ; and by eva- 

 poration, after having again filtered the liquor, a fubftance 

 was obtained whofe flavour was at once faccharine and acrid, 

 fomewhat fimilar to the juice of certain kinds of liquorice. 

 But as this fubftance was ftill luppofed to be charged with the 

 (alts of the bile, changed into acetite, by the acetite of lead, 

 it was precipitated with acetite fuper-fatu rated with oxide of 

 lead, containing one part of the quantity of acid found in com- 

 mon lead ; tiie precipitate was diflblved in vinegar, to free it 

 from the fulphurated hidrogen, filtered, and again evaporated ; 

 by which means the matter was obtained in its greateft purity. 



Its principal qualities are : had the pecullar 



1. Being folubie in water, and in alcohol, flightly deli- enumerated, 

 quefcent. 



2. It is not precipitated by acetite of common lead ; but is 

 entirely fo by the faturated acetite of lead, which precipitate is 

 folubie in acetite of foda. 



3. It will not ferment with yeaft; will give no ammonia 

 by diftillation ; and is not affected by the prefence of nut- 

 gall. 



4. It diflblves the oily matter of bile : but to facilitate this 

 operation, it is necefiary to diflblve the two matters together in 

 alcohol, evaporate, and warn, the refiduum in water. One 

 part of the faccharine and acrid fubftance diflblves only three- 

 fourths of the oily matter. Now, as thefe matters are nearly 



in equal proportions in bile itfelf, it mull be admitted that i 



foda contributes towards the complete diifolution of the oil; 

 neverthelefs acids fcarcely, if at all, affect it. 



In reflecting on the above experiment and its refults, I con- Bile confifts of* 

 eluded that bile was a triple compound of a little foda and ^Jj^f* a a n n d d 

 much oily and faccharine matter; that acids decompofed it faccharine mat- 

 but in part ; in other words, that it was capable of containing ter » * c% 

 an excefs of acid without having its portion of foda neutralized. 

 I therefore calcined bile that had been acidulated with fuJ- 

 phuric, muriatic, and other acids, and found in each cafe the 

 foda left in the calx : it is therefore very probable that the fac- 

 charine matter, in conjunction with the oil, decompofed a 

 certain quantity of marine fait, and deftroyed the power of the 

 acid. 



It 



