on the Blood of Cholera Patients. 297 



But as the serum was merely drawn off, these proportions do 

 not admit of comparison with the healthy ratio of Berzelius. 



Serum. — Specific gravity 1"038; had an alkaline reaction. 

 32'518 grammes of it were evaporated to dryness; and after 

 being reduced to a coarse powder, dried till they ceased to 

 lose weight on a warm bath, the temperature being prevented 

 from rising too high by placing some shreds of cotton beneath 

 the capsule containing the albumen. The dried mass weighed 

 4*078 grammes. This was now incinerated and washed re- 

 peatedly with boiling water, which was evaporated to dryness, 

 and the saline matter thus obtained calcined, and found to 

 weigh "243 gramme, to which, adding "027 (obtained, as we 

 shall hereafter mention), we have the saline matter soluble in 

 water equal to '27 gramme. 



About '02 gr. of this matter was carefully examined to de- 

 termine its nature. By spontaneous evaporation it yielded a 

 set of crystals, which, examined by a microscope, proved to be 

 principally cubes intersected by others of an acicular form. 

 Two or three of the largest and purest of these cubes were dis- 

 solved in water ; the solution had a strongly alkaline reaction, 

 and was precipitated by nitrate of silver, the precipitate being 

 soluble in ammonia. The rest of the crystals were now dis- 

 solved in a drop of water : pure ammonia was added to a mi- 

 nute portion of it, and a faint cloud appeared, indicating the 

 presence of phosphoric acid. The remainder of the solution 

 was divided into two portions ; to one of which tartai'ic acid 

 was added, and to the other chloride of platinum. Evolution 

 of gas took place in both cases; and in the one solution, nu- 

 merous clusters of crystals (whose shape was a six-sided 

 prism) appeared in a tew seconds ; while in the other a gra- 

 nular deposit of octohedral crystals was soon formed. 



To the remaining "25 gr. of saline matter, chloride of bari- 

 um was added in excess: a white precipitate fell, but the so- 

 lution continued alkaline, and by evaporating it to dryness, 

 a portion of insoluble matter remained, which had principally 

 arisen during the evaporation, forming a thick crust on the 

 surface of the liquid. The solution still continued slightly 

 alkaline, and became opake on the surface. These experiments 

 indicate the presence of uncombined alkali. The carbonate 

 of baryta weighed and estimated for the whole saline matter 

 was equal to •0972 gramme, equivalent to '0525 carbonate of 

 soda. It dissolved with effervescence in nitric acid, leaving 

 a residue of '012 of sulphate of baryta, equivalent to "008 of 

 sulphate of potash. The nitric acid solution was precipitated 

 by ammonia, and prussiate of potash occasioned a liiint white 

 cloud. 



Third Series. Vol. 1. No. 4. Oel. 1832. 2 Q 



