174 Miscellaneous Intelligence 



of great interest, from the presence of a new animal substance con- 

 tained in it, and the illustrations it afforded of the colouring matter 

 of the blood, read an account of it to the Atheneum at Venice, from 

 which account this abstract has been made. 



The contents of the gall bladder were not of uniform consistence, 

 but consisted of a clot of filaments in a tenacious liquid as thick as 

 honey; the fluid part was of a purple colour; the clot white, with 

 red and black spots ; the odour was like putrid fish ; it caused no 

 bitter sensation on the tongue ; it was rather lighter than water ; it 

 did not alter by standing for two or three days. 



By decantation and washing, the insoluble portion was separated 

 from all that was soluble in water ; it was then heated with water, 

 and agitated, by which means the adipose portion separated, and col- 

 lecting on the surface, was taken off when cold, and dried by 

 bibulous paper. It was of a greenish colour, and had the odour 

 of the bile originally ; the fibrous matter freed from fat, collected 

 at the bottom of the vessel. Being heavier than water, it had lost its 

 original elasticity, and did not act on turnsole or violet paper; upon 

 trial it was found to be fibrine but little altered; the fatty matter, on 

 examination, gave stearinc and elaine, which was separated by gently 

 heating the substance in alcohol; the part left undissolved, was of a 

 fine green colour, and being boiled in fresh alcohol, formed a green 

 solution, which by partial evaporation and cooling, yielded rhom- 

 boidal crystals, transparent, and of an emerald green colour. This 

 was considered as a new substance, and called Eritrogcne. 



The portion soluble in water, on careful examination, gave colour- 

 ing matter identical with that of the blood, albumen, a green resin, a 

 yellow substance, salts, tSc The composition of the bile is given as 



Water 51.232 



Stearine 8.613 



Elaine 3.972 



Eritrogcne . . . . . .4.157 



Fibrine . . . . . . 11.348 



Albumen 7-282 



Colouring matter of blood . . . 3.148 



Green resin ..... 2.030 



Yellow matter, §-c 3.915 



Salts, loss, #c 4.303 



100. 

 Eritrogcne. — This substance is of a green colour, tasteless, having 

 the odour of putrid fish ; it is transparent, flexible, unctuous, easily 

 scratched or cut, and crystallizes in the form of rhomboidal parallelo- 

 pipedons ; 'it has no action on turnsole or violet, specific gravity 1.57 ; 

 it fuses at 110° Fahrenheit, appearing like an oil; when slowly cooled, 

 it crystallizes on solidifying ; if heated up to 122° Fahrenheit, it vola- 

 tilizes giving, in contact with the atmosphere, a purple vapour; its 



