ALTERATION OF FLESH BY AIR AND WATER. ?,YJ 



If any inference may be drawn from experiments so in* Conclusion, 

 complete as the preceding, it would appear : 



1. That the gelatine obtainable from an animal sub- Gelatine not 

 stance does not exist completely formed in. it; but that, wholly formed 



i i • , i i i ill • c In animai *««>• 



when this substance has been exhausted by the action ot stances. 

 water, more may be formed by the action of the air, the 

 oxigen of which combines with the carbon, while a portion 

 of the substance, that was before solid, becomes gelati- 

 nous, as a solid part of a vegetable becomes solid by the ac- 

 tion of the air. 



It must be remarked however, that the property of pre- Tannin affects 



cipitatinor with tannin belongs to substances, that have very ditferent sub * 



r & ° * stances. 



different qualities in other respects. 1 have found, that the 



decoction of Gray ere cheese formed a copious precipitate 



with tannin. 



2. That nitrogen enters into the composition of the pu- Putrid gas* 

 trid gas, forming no doubt with hidrogen a combination 



less stable than ammonia, or perhaps taking an intermediate 

 state; but, when its proportion is diminished to a certain 

 degree, it is more strongly retained by the substance, and 

 ceases to produce putrid gas. This substance, which \i 

 characterized by the putrid smell, appears to be rather a 

 very evaporable compound, that unites with all gasses, like * 

 other elastic vapours, than a permanent gas. 



3. Since the caseous part has less nitrogen than most Caseous oat* 

 other animal substances, we may conjecture, that this part ter * 

 becomes more and more animalized during life, acquiring a 



greater proportion of nitrogen and hidrogen ; which may be 

 explained by the more intimate combination of the oxigen 

 and hidrogen, that enter into its composition, and by the 

 separation of carbon in the act of respiration ; so that the 

 last term of chemical action during life is the production of Uree. 

 uree, agreeably to the opinion of Mr. Fourcroy*. 



* Syst. des Connoiss. Chim. torn. 10, p. 165 j or English ed. Vol. Xj 

 p* 231. 



XVIIL 



