56 Improvements in Physical Science (Jan. 
but a peculiar animal matter, the properties of which he describes. 
A similar doctrine had been maintained by Berzelius ; but his work 
on Animal Chemistry, having been published in the Swedish lan- 
guage, remained unknown to the chemical world in general. M. 
Vauquelin has recently verified the experiments of Mr. Brande, and 
added some new ones on the same subject. According to his expe- 
riments, the colouring matter of the blood may be obtained in the 
following manner :— 
Let the clot or coagulum of blood, well freed from the serum, be 
put upon a seirce, and well mixed with four parts of sulphuric acid 
diluted with eight parts of water. Heat the mixture to the tempe- 
rature of 158°, and keep it at that temperature for five or six hours. 
Filter the liquid while hot, and wash the residue with as much hot 
water as you employed of acid. Evaporate the liquids to one-half, 
and then add ammonia till the excess of acid is almost, but not 
quite, saturated. The colouring matter precipitates. Decant off 
the clear liquid, and wash the colouring matter with water till that 
liquid ceases to precipitate the nitrate of barytes. Then throw it 
upon a filter; and when well drained, scrape it off with an ivory 
knife, and let it dry in a capsule. Thus prepared, it possesses the 
following properties :— 
It has neither taste nor smell. When suspended in water, it has 
a wine-red colour; but when dry, it appears as black as jet. In 
this state it dissolves readily both in acids and alkalies, and gives a 
purple colour to the solutions. Muriate of barytes does not occasion 
aby precipitate in its solution in muriatic acid. Nor is any change 
produced by gallic acid or prussiate of potash. The infusion of 
nutgalls precipitates it, but does not occasion any change of colour. 
When heated, it neither alters its form nor colour, but gives out an 
animal odour, and furnishes carbonate of ammonia and a purple oil, 
but scarcely any gas. The charry residuum is as bulky as the ori- 
ginal substance. Diluted nitric acid dissolves it without altering its 
colour. Nitrate of silver does not render the solution turbid ; but 
acetate of lead throws down a brown precipitate. (Ann. de Chim. 
et Phys. i. 9.) 
4. Cyst in the Human Liver.—Laugier has examined the matter 
contained in a cyst attached to the liver of a woman between the 
age of 60and 70. When treated with boiling alcohol, that liquid, 
on cooling, deposited crystals of adipocire. The residue was dry. 
When triturated with potash, it gave out very little ammonia, and 
did not sensibly dissolve. When burned, it left 78 per cent. of its 
original weight, which turned out to be phosphate of lime. (Ann. 
de Chim. et Phys. ii. 126.) 
5. Chyme.—We are indebted to Dr. Marcet for the examination 
of a quantity of chyme from the stomach of a turkey. It was a 
homogeneous, brownish, opake pulp, having the smell which is 
peculiar to poultry. It was neither acid nor alkaline, and became 
putrid in 12 days. When evaporated to dryness, it left nearly one 
fifth of its weight of solid matter, It containedalbumen. When 
