Royal Society. '5S1 



I am continuing these researches, and believe the above reactions 

 will furnish many new compounds, and will tend to complete our 

 knowledge of some of those organic and inorganic compounds now 

 known. - 



April 27, 1854.— The Earl of Rosse, President, in the Chair. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. "On the Changes produced in the Blood by the administration 

 of Cod-liver Oil and Cocoa-nut Oil." By Theophilus Thompson, 

 M.D., F.R.S. 



The author has found that during the administration of cod-liver 

 oil to phthisical patients their blood grew richer in red corpuscles, 

 and he refers to a previous observation of Dr. Franz Simon to the 

 same effect. The use of almond-oil and of olive-oil was not fol- 

 lowed by any remedial effect, but from cocoa-nut oil results were 

 obtained almost as decided as from the oil of the liver of the Cod, 

 and the author believes it may turn out to be a useful substitute. The 

 oil employed was a pure cocoa oleine, obtained by pressure from 

 crude cocoa-nut oil, as expressed in Ceylon and the Malabar coast 

 from the Copperah or dried cocoa-nut kernel, and refined by being 

 treated with an alkali and then repeatedly washed with distilled 

 water. It burns with a faint blue flame, showing a comparatively 

 small proportion of carbon, and is undrying. 



The analysis of the blood was conducted by Mr. Dugald Camp- 

 bell. I'he whole quantity abstracted having been weighed, the 

 coao-ulum was drained on bibulous paper for four or five hours, 

 weighed and divided into two portions. One portion was weighed 

 and then dried in a water- oven, to determine the water. The other 

 was macerated in cold water until it became colourless, then mode- 

 rately dried and digested with aether and alcohol to remove fat, and 

 finally dried completely and weighed as fibrine. From the respective 

 weights of the fibrine and the dry clot that of the corpuscles was cal- 

 culated. The following were the results observed in seven different 

 individuals affected with phthisis in different stages of advance- 

 ment : — 



Red corpuscles. Fibrine. 



First stage, before the use f Female 129-26 4-52 



of cod-liver oil .* [Male 11653 1357 



First stage, after the use ("Female 136-47 5-00 



of cod-liver oil \Male 141-53 4-70 



Third stage, after the use j j^^j^ ^gg.^^ 2-23 



of cod-liver oil J 



Third stage, after the use f Male 139-95 2-31 



of cocoa-nut oil \Male 144-94 4-61 



2. " On a Property of Numbers." By the Rev. James Booth, 

 LL.D., F.R.S. &c. 



I know not whether the following property of numbers has been 

 made public. 



A number of six i)laces, consisting of a rei)etitii.n of a period of 



