On Expectorated Matter, l5 



the pulmonary consumption of young persons, also oc* 

 casioned by tubercles, but frequently mistaken for the pus 

 of abscesses or vomicae. 3dly. It appears, oftentimes, in 

 pneumonic or bronchial inflammation with fever, seemingly 

 bemg a beneficial discharge ; as well as in some instances 

 at the close of a fever without concomitant inflammation 

 of the lungs. 4thly. A severe paroxysm of spasmodic 

 asthma is often terminated in the excretion of this kind of 

 jiiatter. 5thly. A secreted substance of this sort is some- 

 times expectorated in various chronical organic diseases of 

 the lungs, the heart, aorla, and parts contiguous to the 

 lungs, which occasion difficult transmission of blood through 

 them. 



" In ail these instances the matter by expectoration is of 

 the consistence of thick cream, or of thin toasted cheese; 

 so tou2,h as to hang in the form of \ rope, four or five 

 inches m length, on pouring it from one vessel into an- 

 other. Its aggregation is such that it is readily detached in 

 large masses from the vitreous surface of vessels. It is not 

 unusual for small black, or reddish spots, and streaks, to 

 appear on the surface of this sort of expectorated substance, 

 A pretty large bulk of it is seldom throughout uniform; 

 but it is frothy, and exhibits opaque masses of various hues 

 with transparent matter interposed. The colour is yellow- 

 ish, straw-coloured, and white, or gray : it also, though 

 seldom, is greenish and blueish. The taste asserted by pa- 

 tients, is, in their own terms, various, namely, saltish, 

 na?ty, faintish, sweetish, luscious, or like that of a sweet 

 oyster, — a sharp or sour taste is the most rare. The only 

 smell which I have perceived is that of flesh, but very fre- 

 quently there is none. When any offensive or pungent 

 smell was perceived, immediately after expectoration, I 

 have always found that it was owing either to the foulness 

 of the vessel in which it was received ; or it was from ex- 

 traneous matters in the mouth, and from decayed teeth. 



*' This opaque viscid substance, being duly diluted with 

 distilled water, was examined with microscopes of common- 

 as well as of very great powers : by means of any of them 

 crowds of spherical particles were seen passing to and fro, 

 in currents, not unlike those of the blood -, except that they 

 were larger. These globules I could not destroy, nor alter 

 in form, by trituration; nor by long boiling in water; nor 

 by exsiccation, and again dissolving in water; nor even by 

 coagulation with mineral and vegetable acids, with alcohol, 

 with sulphuric ether, or with tannin, and alum ; nor by 

 mixture with caustic alkalies in a proportion which leaves the 



liquor 



