344 PROTEIN-COMPOUNDS. 



In the normal condition no albumen seems to pass into the 

 secretions, as for instance the saliva, gastric juice, bile, mucus, &c., for 

 although they do indeed exhibit traces of protein-compounds, these 

 latter differ from ordinary albumen. The pancreatic juice contains, 

 however, in its normal state a substance extremely similar to albu- 

 men, which coagulates on being heated, and perfectly solidifies the 

 fluid (as in the white of hens 1 eggs). This substance may, however, 

 occur in any of these fluids in morbid conditions of the secreting 

 organ; and Jul. Vogel* has especially shown that the mucous 

 membranes may secrete albumen in addition to the ordinary mucus- 

 corpuscles, when abnormally excited ; (hence the presence of 

 albumen in a fluid resembling pus is no evidence of the presence of 

 true pus, or rather of a suppurating surface.) 



Bernardf found that the albuminous substance of the pan- 

 creatic juice exhibited the same behaviour in reference to acids, 

 metallic salts, and to heat, as ordinary albumen, and that it was 

 not coagulated by acetic or lactic acid. Bernard instances as a cha- 

 racteristic difference, that the substance of the pancreatic juice is 

 soluble in water after its precipitation by alcohol, but this as we 

 have already observed, is likewise the case with albumen when 

 dilute alcohol is used. Concretions taken from the pancreatic 

 duct, and for which I am indebted to the kindness of Professor 

 Hasse, dissolved almost entirely in water and exhibited the ordinary 

 reactions of albumen. 



Mack,J Vogt, and Scherer, have found albumen in the liquor 

 amnii } and the two latter enquirers ascertained from their observa- 

 tions that the amniotic fluid is richer in albumen in the earlier than 

 in the later periods of fcetal life. 



Vogt found in the fluid of a foetus at the fourth month 10*77^ 

 and in that of one at the sixth month 6*67$ albumen. Scherer, 

 however, in that of one at the fifth month, found 7'6J%. and only 

 0'82g in the fluid at the ordinary period of delivery. 



In the physiological or normal condition no albumen is con- 

 tained in the excretions, and its appearance indicates either disease 

 of the excreting organ or a complete alteration in the composition 

 of the blood. 



The occurrence of albumen in the urine may be coincident 

 with very different pathological conditions, although its presence was 



* Untersuch. lib. Eiter, Eiterung u. s. w. Erlangen. S. 75. 

 t Arch. gen. de He'd. 4 Ser .T. 19, p. 68. 

 I Heller's Arch. f. Chem. u. Mikrosk. Bd. 2, S. 218. 

 $ Zeitschr. f. wissenschaftl. Zool. Bd. 1, S. 88-92. 



