624 SPECIAL HISTOLOGY. 



this unmixed semen has not yet been investigated in Man ; but we 

 know through Frerichs, with regard to the semen of the Carp, that the 

 spermatic fluid contains no albumen, some little mucus, and, of salts, 

 chloride of sodium, and a small quantity of alkaline sulphates and 

 phosphates ; whilst the spermatozoa consist of a protein compound 

 (according to Frerichs, hinoxide o^ iJrotein), and contain besides 4-05ff of 

 a yellowish, butyraceous fat, and 5-21o' of phosphate of lime. The 

 semen, as ejaculated, is a mixture of pure semen, and of the secretions 

 of the vesiculce seminales, the prostate and Cowpers glands. It is, in 

 this condition, colorless, opalescent, with an alkaline reaction and pecu- 

 liar odor ; when emitted, it is viscid and glutinous, like albumen, but on 

 cooling becomes gelatinous, and after some time again thinner and 

 fluid. When examined microscopically it presents, besides the sperma- 

 tozoa, a moderate quantity of a clear fluid, which, on the addition of 

 water, presents irregular-sized whitish flocculi and fragments, and is 

 undoubtedly derived principally from the vesiculce seminales. This 

 gelatinizing substance, which Henle described as fihrin, and Lehmann 

 regards as an albuminate of soda, has been described by Vauquelin, 

 who analyzed human emitted semen, together with the substance of the 

 spermatic filaments, as spermatin, of which he found 60-, whilst besides 

 it there were present 90 0' water, 3° earthy phosphates, and lo soda. 

 When semen is dried, innumerable crystals of the triple phosphate of 

 magnesia and ammonia are formed among the undestroyed spermatozoa, 

 which generally, owing probably to the considerable quantity of car- 

 bonate of lime contained in them, are not easily destructible. They 

 may be demonstrated in seminal spots even after a long time, when 

 they are moistened ; resist putrefaction for a lengthened period in 

 water and animal fluids (Donne observed them even after three months 

 in putrid urine), and retain their form unchanged even after incinera- 

 tion (Valentin). Acetic acid has but little efi'ect upon the spermatic 

 filaments. Caustic potassa and soda render them pale, and dissolve 

 them, after from 15 to 30 minutes. Nitric acid (20[}) at first produces 

 scarcely any change, afterwards dissolving them. In sulphuric acid 

 their outline becomes extremely faint, and they swell up, but are not 

 entirely dissolved, as are, for instance, the epithelial cells of the seminal 

 tubes. They are not colored yellow by nitric acid and potassa, nor red 

 by sugar and sulphuric acid. Nitrate of potassa in a solution contain- 

 ing 6 per cent, does not dissolve them. In the pure semen the fila- 

 ments exhibit no movemeiits, or scarcely any, when it is too much con- 

 centrated. Their movements are first visible in the contents of the 

 vesiculce seminales, and in ejaculated semen, or when pure semen is 

 diluted. The movement of these bodies is effected solely by the alter- 

 nate flexure and extension, or serpentine motion of the filamentary 

 portion, in which way are produced such lively and various undulating. 



