ADDITIONS AND NOTES TO VOL. 1. 469 



(29) Addition to 291, line 15. In examining the body of a per- 

 son who died from diabetes, Bernard only failed in detecting sugar 

 in the following organs, viz., the brain and spinal cord, the pancreas 

 and the spleen. 



(30) Addition to p. 298, line 19. Guillot and Leblanc* 

 believe that they have discovered milk-sugar in the blood of milch- 

 cows. 



(31) Addition to p. 299, top of page. [We must here notice 

 inosite and par amy Ion, and give a few additional details regarding 

 cellulose. G, E. D.] 



INOSITE. C 12 H 12 O 12 . 



Properties. This variety of sugar crystallises with four atoms 

 of water in colourless clino-rectangular prisms (F. P. 6, F.6), which 

 effloresce on exposure to the air, and lose all their water of crystal- 

 lisation at 100 or in vacuo : it has a sweet taste, dissolves readily 

 in water, slightly in strong spirit, and is insoluble in alcohol and 

 ether ; it crystallises from a boiling spirituous solution on cooling 

 in glistening tablets somewhat like cholesterin ; at a temperature 

 exceeding 210 it fuses into a clear fluid, and at a still higher tem- 

 perature it undergoes decomposition in the same manner as sugar. 

 It undergoes no change when evaporated with hydrochloric acid, 

 or when boiled with caustic potash. It forms a blue solution with 

 sulphate of copper and potash ; but there is no separation of sub- 

 oxide of copper either on prolonged standing or on boiling ; it does 

 not undergo the vinous fermentation with yeast, but in the 

 presence of casein or flesh it enters into lactic and butyric 

 fermentation. 



Composition. Scherer,f the discoverer of this substance, has 

 found that in the anhydrous state it is perfectly isomeric with 

 anhydrous grape-sugar. 



Preparation. If we treat the muscular juice of the heart of the 

 ox in the same manner as in the preparation of creatine from mus- 

 cles, and if we then separate, by means of sulphuric acid, the baryta 

 from the mother-liquid decanted from the creatine, and remove the 

 volatile acids by evaporation of the fluid from which the sulphate 

 of baryta has been separated by filtration, this sugar, together with 

 sulphate of potash, crystallises from the remaining acid fluid on the 

 gradual addition of strong alcohol. The crystals of inosite may be 

 readily picked out and separated from those of sulphate of potash 

 after the mother-liquid has been removed by pressure, or the 



* Compt. rend. T. 31, p. 585. 



t Ann. d, Ch. u. Pharra. Bd. 73, S. 322. 



