20 1 Chemical Properties of Animal Fluids. [Sept. 



ducts of the combustion. As to the portion of the ash of 

 colouring matter, which was insoluble in water, it consisted of 

 the same substances in nature and in proportion, as that of the 

 ash of the colouring matter of ox blood. 



The serum of human blood is composed (according to my 

 experiments) of 



Water 905'0 



Albumen 80*0 



Substances soluble in alcohol, viz. 



Muriate of potash and soda 6 \ . n . n 



Lactate of soda, united with animal matter. .4 J 



Substances soluble only in water, viz. 

 Soda, phosphate of soda, and a little animal ? , , 



matter 3 



999-1* 



Human albumen is more easily incinerated than that of the 

 ox, and contains more soda and phosphate of soda. A hundred 

 parts of the dried albumen give twelve parts of calcined ash. 



The muriates found in human blood are triple the quantity of 

 those in ox blood, owing doubtless to the salt consumed by man 

 in his food. Human blood also contains a larger proportion of 

 muriate of potash. 



On the whole, the great agreement in the composition of 

 human and of ox blood is remarkable, and explains to us the 

 possibility of the phenomena observed in the experiments in 

 transfusion. 



General Results of the Analysis of Blood. 

 1. Blood is composed of one portion which is liquid and 



* I cannot refrain here from comparing my analysis with that made in this 

 country by Dr. Marcet, and given in the second volume of the Medico-Chirur- 

 gical Transactions, p. 370. 



Dr. Marcet finds the following ingredients: — 



Water 9000 



Albumen S6'8 



Muriate of potash and soda 6*6 



Muco-extractive matter 4*0 



Sub-carbonate of soda 1*65 



Sulphate of potash 0-35 



Earthy phosphates 0'60 



A more perfect agreement cannot be expected in the analysis of substances 

 liable to so many accidental differences, particularly in the quantity of water, 

 which in the blood depends so much on the proportion of liquids taken into 

 the stomach. It is clear that Dr. Marcet's extractive 7natter is impure lactate 

 of soda; and I must also observe, that the sulphate of potash and the earthy 

 phosphates found by him in the ashes of serum, are probably, for the reason; 

 above-mentioned, formed by the process of combustion. 



