388 Further Observations on the 



of animals which have perished by disease, afford a gelatin as 

 little noxious as if it had been extracted from the bones of those 

 which were killed in full health. The observations of M. 

 Seguin, Dr. Halli, and Dr. Orfila, have established the fact 

 that a substance which has passed through solution, in hydro- 

 chloric acid, is not only free from infection, but acts as an 

 antidote to it. So thoroughly am I convinced of the truth of 

 this position, that I should not scruple to eat gelatin procured 

 by the chemical method, when the animal, from which the 

 bones were taken, had, to my knowledge, died of a contagious 

 disorder. This antiseptic property is, by no means, unimportant 

 in an article intended for camps and barracks in a country in 

 which fever is extremely frequent. 



The average quantity of bone in animals, is in proportion to 

 flesh as one to five. The average quantity of gelatin obtained 

 from bones, by the chemical process, is thirty per cent. 



According to registers kept at the Prefecture at Paris, the 

 mean weight of an ox is six hundred and sixty pounds ; hence 

 its bones may be said to weigh one hundred and thirty-two 

 pounds, and to yield forty pounds of dry gelatin. 



In 1822, the number of horned cattle sold at Smithfield 

 market, was 1,682,190. The weight of butchers' meat con- 

 sumed in London is 171,251,196 lbs. per annum ; which yields 

 34,250,238 lbs. of bone, and 10,275,070 lbs. of gelatin. 



The weight of butchers' meat consumed in Paris is 83,474, 

 432 lbs. per annum ; which yields 16,694,886 lbs. of bone, and 

 5,008,464 lbs. of gelatin. 



These calculations, however vague, will give some idea of 

 the immense quantity of nutritious matter which is at present 

 either wasted or made use of for other purposes than that 

 of supporting human life. In these calculations above stated, 

 those animals only are comprehended which are killed at the 

 slaughter-house : to these, however, ought to be added all those 

 which die a natural death ; nor ought we to consider butchers' 

 meat alone. The bones of pork, game, poultry, &c., ought to 

 be taken into account also ; and these, it is estimated, are equal 

 to a fifth of the bones of horned cattle. I dare not speak of 

 horse-bones, though gelatin made from these would, probably, 

 be found as good as any other. There can be no doubt that 



