ADDITIONS AND NOTES TO VOL. II. 535 



that they cannot belong to any of the known fats, but very probably 

 constitute a new substance, which has considerable similarity to 

 the protein-bodies, especially in their relation towards nitric acid 

 and Millon's reagent. According to Virchow these plates remain 

 undissolved in ether and boiling alcohol, although they swell in 

 both fluids, become pale, and sometimes burst into several pieces ; 

 the same observer found that they behaved in a similar manner 

 towards acetic acid, dilute mineral acids and alkalies, chloroform, 

 glycerine, &c. The square tablets thus become oblong, or often 

 oval. They dissolve in concentrated acetic acid and caustic alkalies, 

 merely leaving small membranous particles or larger pale flakes. 



(41) Note to pp. 385-393, on the Sweat. [Favre,* who 

 asserts that he has operated on 40 litres (or 8*8 gallons) of sweat, 

 maintains, that after prolonged sweating the secretion becomes 

 neutral, and finally alkaline ; Lehmann, however, was unable to 

 confirm this observation ; it is to be regretted that Favre has not 

 stated how he collected this enormous quantity. 



The solid constituents amount, according to Schottin,f to 

 2*26^, while according to Favre they do not exceed 0*443 J. In 

 these 2'26 of the solid constituents of normal sweat, Schottin 

 found 0'42-g- of epithelium and insoluble matters. In 100 parts of 

 the ash of the sweat he found 31*3 parts of chlorine, combined 

 with 28*2 of sodium and ll'l of potassium ; the ratio of the potas- 

 sium to the sodium in the ash was as 15*7 : 27*5. 



In the ash of the sweat from the feet lie found 4'1-g- of phos- 

 phate of lime, and 1*4^- of phosphate of magnesia and oxide of 

 iron. Moreover, in two closely coinciding analyses of the ash of 

 sweat from the feet and arms, he found 5*5 g- of insoluble and 94 '5g 

 of soluble mineral constituents. 



The organic acids of the sweat were never strictly investigated 

 until Schottin undertook the examination of this fluid : he has 

 demonstrated with the greatest certainty the presence of formic 

 and acetic acids in it. Lehmann considers it singular that the 

 formic acid should preponderate so much, as seems to be the case, 

 over the other volatile acids ; the acetic acid was in far smaller 

 quantity, and butyric acid was present in new traces. 



For a long time the presence of lactic acid in the sweat was 

 regarded as an accepted fact; but Lehmann failed in detecting 



* Compt. rend. T. 35, p. 721-723 ; and Arch. g^n. de Med. 1853, 5 e Sr. 

 T. 2, pp. 1-21. 



f Arch. f. physiol. Heilk. Bd. 11, S. 73-104. 



