Inquiry into the Nature and Properties of the Blood. 425 



ference between animal and vegetable matter, consists in the 

 former possessing an ingredient that the latter does not, ex- 

 cept to a very small extent indeed. 



To do justice, however, to the labours and ingenuity of the 

 past age, we are bound to confess that but little more is known 

 at this day, concerning the proximate elements or ingredients 

 of the blood than at the time alluded to : and that whilst some 

 addition has been made to the store of our knowledge on this 

 head, some material facts known to the physiologists of that age 

 have either been lost or overlooked ; and what is worse, certain 

 facts have been recently regarded as new discoveries and ob- 

 servations, which are not so. The illustrious men to whose 

 labour and ingenuity we are now adverting more especially, are 

 Leeuwenhoek, Lancisius, Boerhaave, Gulielmus, Malpighi, 

 Heister, and others. To adduce an instance or two : Leeuwen- 

 hoek distinctly speaks of the globules in the serum, which Sir 

 E. Home informs us were first seen and described by Mr. Bauer, 

 and the existence of which Mr. Faraday afterwards confirmed. 

 The opinion of the spherules arranging themselves into right 

 lines and forming fibres, was entertained by Leeuwenhoek be- 

 fore Prevost and Dumas or Mr. Bauer were in existence. 

 The destructive distillation of the mass of the blood, as per- 

 formed by modern chemists, differs but little in its results 

 from those of an earlier date ; but as there is more accuracy 

 in chemical manipulations now than formerly, we will adduce 

 the result obtained by this process by Dr. Thomson. "When 

 blood is dried by a gentle heat, water exhales from it, retain- 

 ing a very small quantity of animal matter in solution, and 

 consequently having the odour of blood. Blood dried in this 

 manner being introduced into a retort and distilled, there comes 

 over, first a cleai* watery liquor, then carbonic acid gas, and 

 carbonate of ammonia, which ci-ystallizes in the neck of the 

 retort; after these products,there comes over a fluid oil, carbu- 

 retted hydrogen gas, and an oily substance of the consistence 

 of butter. By the same process, and by increasing the heat, a 

 light smoke is emitted, which affects the eyes and nose, has the 

 odour of prussic acid, and reddens blue vegetable colours : at a 

 more advanced stage of the jirocess, denser fumes arise, which 

 on examination possess the properties of phosphoric acid." 



The above facts and observations, derived from the testi- 

 mony of the most celebrated chemists and physiologists, are 

 among the most important that are considered as throwing any 

 light on the nature of the blood. But the remarks with which 

 we set out are amply confirmed hereby ; for we may see, most 

 plainly, that the experience afforded us by one science, as che- 

 mistry for example, is not sufficient to complete our knowledge 



New Series. Vol. 1. No. (J. June 1827. .'5 1 or 



