Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 369 



though not at so great distances as the dynamical. He then ex- 

 plained his views of the nature of dynamical induction. When a 

 spark is thrown upon a wire, it passes in a wave, whose length might 

 be determined if we knew the velocity of electricity ; now, if we have 

 another parallel wire, a negative wave will be formed in this, and the 

 two waves will travel simultaneously in the same direction. But this 

 is equivalent to a positive induced wave In the opposite direction. In 

 this way the pha?nomena accompanying the discharge of a jar are 

 easily explained. Again, if we conceive that in a galvanic battery 

 the discharge consists of a series of such waves, we may very simply 

 explain the phaenomena of galvanic induction. 



ON THE EXAMINATION OF THE ASHES OF ORGANIC BODIES. 

 BY H. ROSE. 



Considerable attention has recently been paid to the analysis of 

 the ashes of plants and animal substances. We now possess a very 

 large number of quantitative analyses of different ashes, which may 

 considerably enlarge our knowledge of the chemical composition 

 of the inorganic constituents of organic substances. Frequently, 

 however, very incorrect conclusions are liable to he drawn I'rom the 

 results of these analyses, as they have hitherto been made, with 

 respect to the constituents in tlie organic body. This observation 

 struck me on perusing M. Enderlin's paper*, who found in the ashes 

 of tiie blood only phosphate of soda (3NaO + P-0''), phosphate of 

 lime and magnesia, peroxide of iron and perphosphatc of iron, sul- 

 phate of soda, sulphate of lime, cldoride of sodium and potassium, 

 but no alkaline carbonates. From the results found he asserted the 

 total absence of carbonated alkalies and of alkaline salts with organic 

 acids in the blood. It is evident, however, that tliese conclusions 

 may be erroneous, in so far as at a high temperature tlie ordinary 

 phospiiate of soda (2NaO + HO -|- P-0*) is capable of expelling 

 the carbonic acid from the carbonate of soda and forming basic 

 phosphate of soda. 



This observation, respecting the conclusions which M. Enderlin 

 has drawn from his investigations, has already been made by several 

 persons. Marcliand f has attempted to refute Enderlin ; Berzelius, in 

 Ids niost recent report, likewise draws attention to the subject; and 

 Golding Rirdt has prepared the basic phosphate of soda (.'iNaO 

 4- P- ()') by heating the ordinary phosphate of soda ('2NaO + HO 

 -f P- O') to redness with acetate of soda. 



I have also examined the ashes of the blood (ox-blood), but have 

 obtained very different results from those of ]\I. Enderlin. The 

 ])roccss I adopted was the following: — I exposed the blood in a 

 covered platinum crucible to a very faint red iieat, extracted the 

 cold mass with water, and evaporated t!ie colourless licjuid to dry- 

 ness; it consisted of alkaline cidoridcs and carbonates, with very 

 minute quantities of alkaline sulphates and phosphates. 'I'he charred 



* Chcm. Gaz., vol. ill. p. 230. f Ibid, vol. iv. p. 209. 



X I'liil. Mag., vol. xxvi. p. 0;52. 



Phil. Mag. S. 3. Vol. 30. No. 202. May 18 iV. 2 C 



