266 M. Chevreul on Fatty Bodies, and [Oct. 



kinds of fat to boiling alcohol, and to suffer the mixture to cool ; 

 a portion of the fat that had been dissolved was then separated 

 in two states of combination ; one with an excess of stearine 

 was deposited, the other with an excess of elaine remained in 

 solution. The first was separated by filtration, and by distilling 

 the filtered fluid and adding a little water towards the end of 

 . the operation, we obtain the second in the retort, under the form 

 of an alcoholic aqueous fluid. The distilled alcohol which had 

 been employed in the analysis of human fat had no sensible 

 odour ; the same was the case with that which had served for 

 the analysis of the fat of the ox, of the hog, and of the goose. 

 The alcohol which had been employed in the analysis of the fat 

 of the sheep had a slight odour of candle-grease. 



Examination of the alcoholic aqueous fluids. That from human 

 fat exhaled an odour of bile similar to what was perceived from the 

 fat of the hog ; it produced a bitter yellow extract : the part pro- 

 cured from the first washing was alkaline, that from the last was 

 acid ; it also contained a trace of empyreumatic oil. That from 

 the fat of the sheep did not exhale the odour of bile, but it 

 produced an acid extract similar to the preceding. That from 

 the fat of the ox was red and alkaline ; it contained a little 

 muriate of potash and muriate of soda. That from the jaguar 

 had a disagreeable odour ; it contained a yellow, bitter, oily 

 matter, and it was thought also a little acetic acid. That from 

 the goose only contained a trace of matter soluble in water, and 

 was completely without smell. 



The varieties of stearine from the different species of fat were 

 found to possess the following properties. They were all of a 

 beautiful white colour ; entirely, or almost without odour, insipid, 

 and having no action upon litmus. — Stearine from man. The 

 thermometer which was plunged into it when melted fell to 

 105'5°, and rose again to 120°. By cooling the stearine crystal- 

 lized in very fine needles the surface of which was flat. — Stearine 

 of the sheep. The thermometer fell to 104°, and rose again to 

 109 - 5° ; it formed itself into a flat mass ; the centre, which 

 cooled more slowly than the edges, presented small and finely 

 radiated needles. — Stearine of the ox. The thermometer fell to 

 103°, and rose again to 111°; it formed itself into a mass, the 

 surface of which was flat, over which were dispersed a number of 

 minute stars visible by the microscope ; it was slightly semi-trans- 

 parent. — Stearine of the hog. It exhaled the odour of hog's- 

 lard when it was melted. The thermometer fell to 100* 5°, and 

 rose again to 109*5°. By cooling, it was reduced into a mass, 

 the surface of which was very unequal, and which appeared to 

 be formed of small needles. When it cooled rapidly, the parts 

 which touched the sides of the vessel had the semi-transparency 

 of coagulated albumen. — Stearine of the goose. The thermo- 

 meter fell to 104°, and rose again to 109'5 ; it was formed into 

 aflat mass. 



