352 Dr. Thomson's Chemical Analysis 



48'85 grains. This dry matter, in the state of a coarse powder, 

 was digested for two days in a Florence flask on the sand- 

 bath. The whole was then thrown on a filter, and the liquid 

 which passed through was evaporated to dryness. This water 

 had dissolved a notable quantity of albumen, which was se- 

 parated during the evaporation in a hard transparent crust. 

 I endeavoui'ed to separate it as completely as possible by 

 dissolving the salt three times successively in water, and eva- 

 porating the solution to dryness. By every successive eva- 

 poration some alhumen was separated ; but after the third 

 evaporation I could obtain no more albumen by this process. 

 The saline matter remaining weighed 2'39 grains : it was 

 gray, acted powerfully as an alkali, and by the test of chloride 

 of platinum appeared to contain both potash and soda. The 

 salt contained no sensible quantity of sulphuric acid, nor of 

 lime, nor of phosphoric acid: there existed in it r47 grain of 

 common salt; the remaining 0'92 grain was alkali and a 

 brown-coloured salt, which deliquesced, and which dissolved 

 in alcohol : it doubtless also contained some albumen. 



The albumen thus freed as completely as possible from salt 

 by digestion, was dried and exposed to a red heat for half an 

 hour in an open platinum crucible ; it left a gray ash, weighing 

 0*77 grain : this ash was partly soluble in water. The portion 

 dissolved was common salt and an alkali, weighing 0"53 grain. 

 The remainder dissolved in nitric acid, and was precipitated 

 in white flocks by ammonia and by caustic potash added in 

 excess; it was therefore phosphate of lime: it weighed 0'24< 

 grain*. Thus the salts in 304>'36 of cholera serum were 3'16 

 in weight, and consisted of 



Common salt, with some potash and soda 1"98 



Phosphate of lime 0'2't 



Salts soluble in alcohol, with albumen 0-92 



Peroxide of iron 0*02 



3-16 

 The saline contents of the 32*34' grains of serum, given in 

 page 349, will be 0'335 grain, and will consist of 



Common salt, with some potash and soda 0*210 



Phosphate of lime 0*025 



Salts soluble in alcohol, with albumen 0*098 



Peroxide of iron 0*002 



0*335 

 * There was 0-07 grain of this white matter which did not dissolve in 

 nitric acid. Tested by the blowpipe it contained no silica ; the quantity 

 was too small to enable me to determine what it was, — j)robabIy a phos- 

 phate. It contained a trace of iron, probably derived from the colouring 

 matter of the blood, from which it was not quite free. 



The 



