120 AREOLAR TISSUE. 



gelatine from it by boiling, none at least which has the pro- 

 perty of gelatinizing. The integument was removed from a 

 pig's foetus measuring four inches in length, cut up into pieces, 

 and steeped in distilled water for a clay. It was then boiled 

 for twenty-four hours. The last process caused it to crumble 

 into small particles that clouded the fluid, in which also some 

 large lamellae of epidermis floated. When examined with the 

 microscope the epidermis exhibited the same structure as it 

 did previous to being boiled ; the nuclei in the separate cells 

 were also distinct. A quantity of fibre-cells floated in the fluid 

 in the same state as when they, in their recent condition, com- 

 posed the entire cutis, that is to say, longish corpuscles extended 

 at both extremities into somewhat long fibres. The cell-nucleus 

 could still be distinctly recognized in some of them. Thus 

 the process of boiling, which had not produced any effect upon 

 the fibre-cells or the fibres issuing from them, had dissolved 

 the connecting cytoblastema, by which they had been held 

 together in the recent state. The fluid was then filtered. 

 Acetic acid caused a precipitate which was not dispersed by an 

 excess of acid. A solution of alum produced a much more 

 copious precipitate, which, in like manner, was not redissolved 

 by an excess of alum, or at least not completely. Tincture 

 of gall-nuts caused a thick clouding, spirits of wine only a 

 slight one Hydrochloric acid clouded the fluid, and an 

 excess of acid did not render it clear again. These reactions 

 accord with what Guterbock has called pyine, save that the 

 clouding produced in the latter by hydrochloric acid, was 

 redissolved by an excess of the acid. A portion of the filtered 

 fluid was evaporated almost to dryness, but even after twenty- 

 four hours, there was no trace of the formation of a jelly 

 observable. In order to separate the component particles of 

 this, in all probability, still very heterogeneous fluid, in some 

 degree from one another, some pure alcohol was added to that 

 portion of it which had been so long evaporated, whereby a 

 very copious precipitate was produced. This was separated by 

 filtration and washing, first with pure alcohol, and afterwards 

 with spirits of wine of 80 per cent, strength, then dried, and 

 again dissolved in boiling water. Acetic acid and alum caused 

 precipitates in this solution, which were not again dissolved 





