of the University of Pennsylvania. 59 



man. Similar results are recorded by Poggiale, 1 

 and for domestic fowls by Meissner and Fliige. 2 J. 

 Lehmann 3 records the feeding of pigs for thirty- 

 two days on bran which contained almost no flour, 

 with a nearly negative gain in weight, although 

 the bran contained 15.5 per cent, of nitrogenous 

 matters. 



The ability of herbivora to digest "gluten-cells" 

 and similar bodies is probably due to the relatively 

 powerful amylolytic ferments of their digestive fluids, 

 for it has been demonstrated that pepsin is unable to 

 traverse cellulose. 4 It has also been shown by one 

 of us 5 that the cells of the fourth layer are, to all 

 appearance, entirely unaffected by prolonged artifi- 

 cial digestions, salivary, gastric, and pancreatic, 

 and further that their contents were but little 

 changed, and their walls in nowise disintegrated 

 by immersion for some days in strong acids and 

 alkalies. 



1 Comptes-Rendus, 1853. 



2 Zeitsch. f. rat. Med., vol. xxxi. p. 185, and vol. xxxvi. p. 

 184. 



3 Amtsbl. f. d. Handl. u. wer. d. K5nigr. Sacbsen, 1868, 

 No. 2. 



4 Hammersten, Jabresber. d. Tbierchemie, vol. iii. p. 207. 



5 Randolph, Proc. Acad. Xat. Sciences, 1883, p. 311. 



