214 Royal Society, 



champs of a fluid, which flowed from the ear of a man who had 

 sustained a fracture of the base of the cranium. From a comparison 

 between the composition of this fluid and that given by M. Lassaigne 

 as the composition of the cerebro- spinal fluid, M. Bussy arrived at the 

 conclusion that they were identical in their origin. In addition, how- 

 ever, to the albumen and ordinary saline constituents, M. Deschamps 

 found that the fluid obtained from the fractured cranium contained 

 a certain constituent which possessed the peculiar property of re- 

 ducing the blue protoxide of copper to the state of the yellow sub- 

 oxide. 



As this power of reducing the oxide of copper is possessed also by 

 grape-sugar, M. Bussy arrived at the conclusion that this fluid con- 

 tained a small portion of grape-sugar, and as additional evidence in 

 support of this conclusion he quotes the experiments of M. Bernard, 

 who, by irritating the base of the encephalon and the origin of the 

 vagus nerve, produced an excess of sugar in the secretions. He 

 supposes that in the present instance the fracture through the base 

 of the cranium may have produced some irritation at the origin of 

 the pneumogastric, and thus have excited the formation of sugar. 

 Such a supposition would have received additional confirmation if at 

 the same time an analysis could have been made of the blood, urine, 

 or other secretions, so as to determine if sugar was present in those 

 fluids — no such analysis however is given. The property of re- 

 ducing the oxide of copper was also found by M. Bussy to reside in 

 the cerebro-spinal fluid of the Horse and Dog. In none of these 

 experiments was he able to induce fermentation. As this reducing 

 power is not peculiar to grape-sugar, but is possessed by other orga- 

 nic substances, such as lactine and lactucine, this test alone should 

 not be relied on as aff^ording any positive indications of its presence ; 

 recourse should therefore be had to other confirmatory experiments. 



With a view to determine this point, Mr. Paget, in the early 

 part of March last, gave me for examination three separate portions 

 of the cerebro-spinal fluid, obtained by puncturing a spina bifida 

 in a child, several days intervening between the removal of each 

 portion. 



Those removed on the first two occasions were perfectly clear and 

 pellucid, giving an alkaline reaction to test-paper, their spec. grav. 

 being r006, no spontaneous coagulation taking place after standing 

 for some time ; that removed on the third occasion had a slightly 

 yellow tinge, and a distinct coagulum formed in it on standing. The 

 presence of fibrine in this instance was owing doubtless to some 

 slight inflammation having been set up, caused by the successive 

 puncturings. The three specimens corresponded in the following 

 characters : — 



1 St. No precipitate on applying heat, merely an opalescence being 

 produced ; on the addition of a few drops of nitric acid a white flaky 

 precipitate subsided. Nitric acid alone, without heat, also caused 

 a precipitate. 



The non-precipitation of the albumen, until the addition of the 

 acid, was owing to the alkalinity of the fluid. 



