1815.] New Patents. I 
XIV. Animal Concretion. 
Professor John has lately examined a concretion from the uterus 
of awoman. From the description which he has given of it, there 
is reason to consider it as precisely similar to a concretion from the 
vagina, which I described and analyzed in a preceding volume of 
the Annals of Philosophy. Accordingly Dr. John found its compo- 
sition quite analogous. It was composed of phosphate of lime and 
an-animal membranous matter. He detected in it, likewise, traces 
of carbonate of lime and of muriatic acid. 
XIV. Saliva. 
I have lately had an opportunity of making some experiments on 
saliva, thrown out of the system during a mercurial salivation, The 
following is the result. Saliva, when first emitted, is an opal liquid, 
which speedily lets fall a white matter, and then becomes trans- 
parent. The white matter thus deposited possesses the characters of 
coagulated albumen. As mercury is known to act very powerfully 
as a precipitant of albumen, I thought it possible that in the present 
case it might have been thrown down by the mercury with which 
the system was known to be loaded. But I did not succeed in de- 
tecting the presence of any of that metal. The specific gravity of 
the saliva at GO° was 1:0038. It was a ropy liquid, and could be 
drawn out into fine threads; yet it could not be employed to paste 
together pieces of paper, not having the property of a cement. 
This liquid was not altered by prussiate of potash nor infusion cf 
nutgalls, With nitrate of lead it deposited a copious white coagu- 
lum. It precipitated likewise with nitrate of mercury. 1050 grs. 
of it, being evaporated to dryness, left a residue of 7°5 grs. This 
residue was composed of 
Coagulated albumen ................ 2°70 
Mucus (with a little albumen) ........ 3°85 
Common salt .......... Pe cieteteioat = 2 0°95 
Articte XII. 
New Patents. 
Joun Taytor, Stratford, Essex, manufacturing chemist; for 
certain methods of purifying or refining sugar. June 22, 1815. 
Cuarces Sytvester, Derby, engineer ; for various improye- 
ments in the texture of bobbin lace. June 22, 1815, 
Roxerr Baines, Myton, Kingston-upon-Hull, glue manufac- 
turer ; for his improvements in the construction of vertical windmill 
sails, June 22, 1815. 
