PLASTIC EXUDATIONS. 135 



out by water, and which cannot possibly be regarded as fibrin, 

 the exudation cannot generally be obtained as an entire mass, 

 that is to say, all the solidified as well as the still fluid parts cannot 

 be removed from the cavity into which they have been effused. In 

 the meanwhile it would appear, from approximate determinations, 

 that the relation between the solidified and fluid matters varies 

 very considerably, a circumstance which confirms the well-known 

 experience derived from personal observation that a large proportion 

 of the exudative fluid is soon resorbed. According to our experi- 

 ence, there is no definite relation between the part of the exudation 

 which remains fluid and the serum of the corresponding blood ; 

 but in most cases, here as well as in the secretions from wounds, 

 the solid residue of the exudation-fluid is inconsiderable, and con- 

 sequently the amount of water is greater. I found this difference 

 between the fluids the greatest, namely, about 3*47$ in a very fresh 

 peritoneal exudation. In some cases, however, the quantity of the 

 solid constituents in the exudations exceeded that in the corre- 

 sponding blood-serum. There was usually less of the coagulable 

 protein-substances in the exudative fluid than in the corresponding 

 blood-serum; an apparent excess of these substances occurred 

 only in one-seventh of the cases observed, but then the fluid had 

 become turbid, and had not been thoroughly cleared by previous 

 filtration. These fluids differed less in respect to the extractive 

 matters which they contained; indeed, if the latter were con- 

 sidered in reference to the quantity of water in both fluids, the 

 difference was in most cases so inconsiderable that it could scarcely 

 be said to exceed the amount of such errors as are unavoidable in 

 observations of this nature. But on comparing them in their 

 relation to the solid residue, we commonly find that there is a 

 small excess for the extractive matters of the exudations. The 

 sum of the salts is generally somewhat higher in the exudations 

 than in the blood-serum of the same individuals. On comparing 

 together the different salts we find, without exception, relatively 

 and absolutely more of the phosphates and potash-salts in all these 

 exudations than in the blood-serum. 



However much one might be disposed, from these results of 

 my analyses, to find a confirmation of the view that has already 

 been advanced elsewhere, that the phosphates, and with them 

 probably also the potash-salts, contribute very essentially towards 

 the plasticity of the exudations, we cannot regard the point as 

 definitively settled, for it is not easy to determine to what extent 

 the quantity of blood-cells in the exudations contributes to this 



