FLESH AND ITS PREPARATIONS. 



469 



233, Flesh and its Preparations. 



Flesh, in the form in which it is eaten, contains in addition to 

 the muscle-substance proper, more or less of the elements of fat, 

 connective- and elastic-tissue mixed with it. The following results 

 refer to flesh freed as much as possible from these constituents. 

 The chief proteid constituent of the contractile muscular substance 

 is myosin (Kiihne); scrum-albumin occurs in the fluid of the fibres, 

 in the lymph and blood of muscle. The fats are for the most part 

 derived from the interfibrillar fat cells, and so are lecithin and 

 cholesterin from the nerves of the muscles; the gelatin is derived 

 from the connective-tissue of the perimysium, perineurium, and the 

 walls of blood-vessels and tendons. The red colour of the flesh is 

 due to the haemoglobin present in the sarcous substance (Kiihne, 

 Gscheidlen). Elastin occurs in the sarcolemma, neurilemma, and 

 in the elastic fibres of the perimysium and walls of the vessels ; 

 the small amount of keratin is derived from the endothelium of the 

 vessels. The chief muscular substance, the result of the retrogressive 

 metabolism of the sarcous substance, is kreatin (Chevreul 0'25 per 

 cent., Perls) ; Ireatinin, the inconstant inosinic acid, then lactic, or rather 

 sarcolactic acid (see Muscle). Farther, taurin, sarkin, xanthin, uric acid, car- 

 nin, inosit (most abundant in the muscles of drunkards), dextrin (in horse 

 and rabbit, not constant Sanson, Limpricht) ; grape-sugar (Meissner), 

 but it is very probably derived post mortem from glycogen (0'43 per 

 cent.), which occurs in considerable amount in foetal muscles (0. 

 Nasse) ; lastly, fatty acids. Amongst the salts, potash and phosphoric 

 acid compounds (Braconnot) are most abundant ; magnesium phosphate 

 exceeds calcium phosphate in amount. 



In 1 00 parts FLESH there is, according to Schlossberger and v. Bibra 



