130 EXUDATIONS. 



dance of diseased animals at our disposal, for all exudations taken 

 indiscriminately are not equally suitable for a rational investigation, 

 since anatomi co-physical relations often render it perfectly impos- 

 sible to exhibit the object in a pure state. 



When we consider the difficulties which present themselves at 

 the very outset of all attempts at quantitative examinations of the 

 exudations, we can hardly wonder that many chemists should 

 shrink from the prosecution of such unsatisfactory labours, more 

 especially when we bear in mind that pathology offers for our con- 

 sideration numerous questions, the solution of which promises 

 more abundant results, and should, as is obvious to reason, pre- 

 cede the analysis of the exudations. It is to be hoped, that phy- 

 sicians will acquire sufficient insight into chemical and physiolo- 

 gical science to avoid propounding questions which without ad- 

 mitting of any exact solution, only bring to light the ignorance of 

 those with whom they have originated, whilst it is equally to be 

 desired that chemists, whether they be expert or not, will avoid 

 placing themselves as mere tools in the hands of their pathological 

 brethren, and increasing the mass of crippled facts and perverted 

 deductions with which pathological chemistry is already over- 

 burdened. 



From this somewhat prolix introduction to the mode of inves- 

 tigating exudations from a physiologico-chemlcal point of view, it 

 will be clearly seen, that our positive knowledge in this depart- 

 ment of science is extremely small, whilst the majority of the few 

 materials collected in reference to these subjects of inquiry (as, 

 for instance, some wholly irrelevant analyses of cancerous tumours, 

 pleuritic exudations, tuberculous masses, peritoneal exudations of 

 doubtful character, &c., &c.) must be rejected as entirely worthless. 

 We can, therefore, only give a very fragmentary sketch of the 

 subject, and we think we shall scarcely be in error if we wholly 

 omit, or at most only glance at, the ordinary descriptions of the 

 histological conformation, or the microscopical characters of the 

 pathological objects referred to, under the heads of the respective 

 physiological tissues ; without such a precaution we fear we might 

 incur the risk of giving a mere outline of pathological histology 

 which would wholly mask the pathologico-chemical nature of the 

 objects under examination. As there is often but little to be said 

 in reference to the chemistry, we shall frequently be compelled to 

 give a histological introduction without being able to describe the 

 chemical composition. If any chemist should be disposed to 

 direct his attention and energies to this intricate department of 



