AN IMPORTANT INFLUENCE ON SECRETIONS. 63 



influence on the distribution of the fluids in the ani- 

 mal body, the relations of each membrane present- 

 ing any peculiarity of structure, or of the different 

 glands and systems of vessels, deserve to be investi- 

 gated by careful experiment; and it might very likely 

 be found that in the secretion of the milk, the bile, 

 the urine, the sweat, &c., the membranes and cell- 

 Avails play a far more important part than we are 

 inclined to ascribe to them ; that besides their 

 physical properties, they possess certain chemical 

 properties, by which they are enabled to produce 

 decompositions and combinations, true analyses ; 

 and if this were ascertained, the influence of che- 

 mical agents, of remedies, and of poisons on those 

 properties, would be at once explained. 



The phenomena described in the preceding pages These phe- 

 nomena not 

 are observed, not in the gelatinous tissues alone, confined to 



thegela- 



but also, apparently, in many other structures of tinous 

 the animal body, which cannot be reckoned as 

 belonging to that class. 



If we tie moist paper over the open end of a Coagulated 



albumen 



cylindrical tube, and, after pouring in above the acts like a 

 paper white of egg to the height of a few lines, brane. 

 place that end of the tube in boiling water, the 

 albumen is coagulated, and when the paper is re- 

 moved, we have a tube closed with an accurately 

 fitting plug of coagulated albumen, which allows 

 neither water nor brine to run through. If the 

 tube be now filled to one-half with brine, and im- 

 mersed in pure water as in Fig. 4, the brine is seen 



